Raali: Crime and Punishment
by Mesopotamia
Summary: Lost in an unfamiliar place, Raali is captured by the Galadhrim. HaldirOC
1. Raali 1

**A/N: In this fic, I decided to give elves a hierarchy as I think they would have. Obviously, there is leadership and some elves are ranked higher than others which signifies that there is some type of hierarchy. I think that to a point, there is peasantry among elves, but it is not to the point of human peasantry and could never compare. Elven peasantry in my opinion would be educated and still have the connections to nature, but their clothing and material goods (or lack thereof) would separate them from the higher ranking elves. In any healthy realistic economy, there is a small upper class, large middle class, and a well-sized lower class. In this case, we will pretend that there is not that large of a lower class in elven standards (and there probably wasn't).**

**So yea...tell me if I should not continue this or if this sounds like an interesting beginning. This is my first Haldir fic so take pity.**

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"Alright, don't panic," Raali said to herself, staring at the weathered map. Sunlight streamed through the trees and it was an overall beautiful forest. Leaves fluttered down and the scent of the trees was almost delicious. Birds sang and serenity prevailed.

She cursed loudly and shoved the map into her knapsack, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. She could have sworn that she had made a right as soon as that huge river came into sight and now...now...well she was lost to put it simply.

Simple directions. Simple instructions.

"Give this letter to your father," her mother had said. "And hurry child!" She had galloped off into the silent night and now it was well past dawn and she doubted she was anywhere near Mirkwood. She was wearing naught but a simple drab blue dress and no shoes. She had little time to change or bathe when the journey was rushed upon her.

She had left everything behind in her haste and did not even think to bring food. Her mother had a strange look in her eye when she gave her the letter and practically shoved her out the door. And in the clothes that she had been working all day in! Her hair was filthy and she did not doubt that she smelled less than pleasant at the moment.

Drawing her sword, she urged her horse forward.

'This doesn't seem like Mirkwood,' Raali thought. 'Shouldn't it be...murkier for lack of a better term?'

She continued to ride slowly and then stopped. The forest was silent. Completely silent. No birds sung. Her deep blue eyes scowered the forest. She stopped and she could very well hear her breath. She raised her sword in preparation. She knew that whenever it was this quiet, there was deception in the air.

But she moved her horse onward. Perhaps as she went deeper into the forest, it would get darker. Pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, she prompted her horse to go to a faster trot but stopped suddenly.

She could hear the sound of about 50 arrows being notched. Her heart pounded with fear and frustration. Swallowing hard, she held both her hands up and looked around at the many fair haired elves scowling at her, prepared to release their arrows into her flesh.

"Um...sorry?" she said innocently.

"Put down your weapon," a cold voice ordered and she let the sword drop onto the ground next to her horse. "And dismount from your horse."

Raali did so and turned to find an extremely tall elf glaring down at her. Or at least he seemed extremely tall. He was the tallest out of all the elves and the elves were certainly taller than her. She pondered on his height a bit longer until he spoke again, making her jump.

"You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood," he said in a voice that sounded like he said this quite often. Raali's eyes grew wide. She was in the woods of Lorien! As a child, she had been told the elves here were beautiful and yet guarded their lands so fiercely that few of even their own kindred dared to enter. It was said that the guard here, hardened by much pain and blood, was the strongest in all of Middle Earth. There was not an army that could trespass the Lorien wood and live to tell the tale.

"Are you serious!" she exclaimed, frustrated and a bit frightened. "So this isn't Mirkwood?"

He gave her a strange look. "Does this look like Mirkwood?"

"Maybe it changed...,"Raali bit her lip.

"This isn't Mirkwood," the elf continued firmly. "What is your business?"

"Now wait a moment, this simply must be Mirkwood," Raali said angrily.

""This _isn't _Mirkwood," the elf repeated, visibly irritated. "Now tell me what your business is in this land, or I will get it from you in other less pleasant ways."

"I-I think I'm lost, but...hey!" her knapsack was suddenly snatched out of her hand. "Give that back!"

"Telis, search it," he ordered and threw it to one of the elves who walked away with it. "The rest of you check her horse and the saddle bag."

She started to walk towards the elf with her knapsack, but a strong hand stopped her. "You will not follow him."

"Why not?" she glared. "It is my bag, is it not?"

"We will see if you bring anything that is harmful to this kingdom," the March warden said, his gaze hardening. "We will see if you are a spy or wish to do evil in our land."

"Me?" she stiffled a laugh. "A spy? I was running an errand for my mother. I was supposed to deliver a letter to my father in Mirkwood and I could have sworn I made a right on that big river...but now I'm here and I'm not so sure and-"

"I care not," he interrupted snottily. "We have had great evil come into our lands in the disguise of innocence. I will not risk the safety of this land under any circumstances."

"What do you mean?" she cried. All she wanted to do was to get home as quickly as possible. "You stopped me and now you are telling me that you do not care? This is ridiculous. I have to get home. My parents will be very upset with me. I really think this is all a big misunderstanding and-"

"Haldir!" the elf named Telis called. "I think you should come and take a look at this."

"What?" Raali exclaimed, anger and irritation in her voice. "What is there to look at? Have you not seen a knapsack before?"

"Read this," he said, pushing the letter into the March Warden's hand.

"That is none of your business!" she cried. "You can't just read other people's mail!" Raali reached to grab the letter but Haldir caught her wrist and pushed her back roughly.

She was shocked and a little hurt by this gesture, but she stayed quiet and watched his eyes read quickly and narrow into cold (err...coldER) grey slits. When he finished, he looked up at her and scowled.

"You, my Lady, are fooling no one," he said.

"And that means...?" Raali stared at him blankly.

"You are coming with us," the March warden frowned and motioned for two elves to grab her.

"What have I done?" she cried, struggling against the two that held her in a painful grip. But with a swift movement of the March Warden's eyes, she was moved away and lifted up into a tree where she was dropped suddenly onto a damp wooden floor. The two elves were talking as if nothing had happened

"This is not fair!" she exclaimed. "I have not done anything! You can't do this!"

The two elves continued to ignore her as she scowled angrily at them.

"You can't keep me here!" Raali proclaimed angrily and started to crawl down the ladder. Both guards sprang up and grabbed her, shoving her back onto the floor.

"No!" she growled. She was angry now. Never had she been treated in such a way by any elf, but when she tried to get up again, a sudden cold touched her skin. One of the elves had taken out a dagger.

"Keep still," he demanded through gritted teeth. "And keep quiet." Raali swallowed and then nodded, easing back into a corner away from the elves. They continued to talk merrily as if nothing had happened.

She spent the night in the corner with no food and water, constantly being wakened by any sound that was made. In the morning, she was practically dragged down to the forest floor.

"The Lady requests your presence," Haldir smirked at her. A sudden fear struck her.

Moving her dark hair out of her eyes, she looked at him confused, "But...why?"

"She has her reasons," he frowned and then stepped forward, leaning into her a bit. "I suggest you drop the innocent act. No one is buying it."

"What are you talking about?" she asked with concerned eyes. She did not like the way this was going.

"She'll see right through you," he warned and then stepped away to discuss something with another elf. She chewed on her lip anxiously and then looked up to see him approaching her, a white cloth in this hand.

"We have decided that you are to be blindfolded," the March Warden said.

"What!" Raali was horrified. She backed away slowly, but someone moved behind her suddenly and held her in place. "I refuse to be blindfolded like some common criminal!"

"You _are_ a common criminal or possibly even worse," he growled and then grabbed her and pulled her towards him. Raali had never been handled in such a way by an edhel. He tied her hands and then blindfolded her.

She felt someone prod her in the back.

"Walk," someone behind her grumbled and so she did, tripping over a branch and falling over, landing face first on the ground. Everyone around her laughed and no matter how hard she tried to get up, she could not. Someone pulled her up and told her to walk again, but she tripped again, another burst of laughter erupting from the elves.

"Enough!" she heard a familiar cold voice. She could see why this Haldir of Lorien was the leader. His very tone made the rest feel weak and inferior under him.

She was gently lifted off the ground and set upon a horse. She felt someone move behind her and wrap strong arms around her to keep her secure.

"Why would they treat me like that?" she asked, her voice barely above a hushed whisper. "Is that how elves of Lorien treat their kin?"

"How else would you expect a criminal, a peasant criminal, to be treated?" the cold voice of Haldir asked.

"I am not a criminal!" she insisted, tears penetrating her voice. "What in the world would make you think I was? Please, for Valar's sake, believe me when I say that I meant no harm whatsoever in coming here. I am merely lost! I swear it!"

"That letter was all the convincing I needed," his voice dropped so that only she could hear it. "I would be careful if I were you." She wanted to ask him what he meant, but they were soon going at a full gallop.

When they slowed, she decided to take another approach.

"Please," she begged. "Take me home, please...or...or..tell my mother and father where I am. At least do that. Please."

"We will see," was the answer and then there was no more. Only silence until she was again taken off the horse.

"Please at least tell me what it is I am accused of doing, at least that," she pleaded. Silence was her answer.

"Are we here?" Raali asked.

"We are resting for the night," someone far off answered in a harsh tone.

"Can someone please untie me?" she called out. No one seemed to hear her plea. "Hello!"

They had laid her down on the ground where she writhed, trying to take off the restraints and finally giving up, succumbing to tears once more.

"Scum like you deserve worse treatment," someone near her spat, "May the Lady take no pity on swine like yourself."

"How dare you?" Raali shouted. She was fuming at this point. How dare this stupid elf assume all these things without even knowing her! How dare all of them treat her like this! " You don't know the half of it! I am no criminal! It is you who is the criminal!"

"Calling me a criminal, you dirty-" the elf swore and she heard a struggle between him and the other elves. "Leave me be, I'll show her criminal!"

"Leave her!" another elf yelled and all was quiet. She felt a sudden wetness on her foot as someone (presumably the mean elf, as she dubbed him) spat at her.

She truly wished for food and water at this point. Food was a hard shot and she doubted that they would share, but water was everywhere. In fact, she could almost hear a river nearby.

"May I please have some water?" she called out into the darkness of her world.

"Hey, the Lady wants water," she heard one elf say.

"Oh yes, we should grant the ladies' wish of water," another piped in. She felt someone lift her off the ground and whimpered in fear and confusion. Why couldn't they just bring the water to her?

Her question was answered as she was thrown into the depth of the river she had heard earlier. Panic began to well up. She had never learned how to swim. She had always feared the river and while the rest of the children swam effortlessly and without care, she would sit by the bank watching them, perfectly content to be away from the water's edge.

But now she regretted not learning to swim for she felt herself going under, deeper and deeper, the current moving her along. She did not know which was up and which way was down and her lungs burned with lack of oxygen. She felt herself slipping out of consciousness and thinking how unbelievably painful it was to drown...

00000000000000000000000000000-Haldir's POV-0000000000000000000000000000000000

I dropped out of the tree and stretched, walking over to get some food. I had not eaten in a while with all that has been happening. An orc party here. Visitors from Mirkwood there. And that dreadful peasant girl.

The letter was so sincere in its conviction of her. She had said that it was from her mother to her father, but that had been a lie. She had said that she did not know where she was. That too had been a lie. She was not to be trusted and I had no problem of informing my fellow Galadhrim of this. My guards, however, are not the most benevolent of elves and so part of the reason that I had started to walk around was to check up on her. In fact, Lorien is known for its ruthlessness, partially thanks to me. All creatures fear to walk into our realm and that is how we have survived for so long. Frequent death has hardened us. It would harden anyone.

But I am no villian. I am the March Warden of Lothlorien and as the March warden, it is my duty to keep the city and the forest safe, no matter what. I will not allow what happened to Greenwood (now Mirkwood) to happen to our beloved Lothlorien. No, not as long as I still draw breath.

The girl had seemed so innocent. I had guessed that she was from a village near Imladris from her dark features. Judging by her clothes and hair (which were covered in dirt and reeked of a hundred stables), she was a peasant and they are not always treated with respect. Of course, in my humble opinion, they did not deserve it. I give pity to no one who does not at least try to better themselves. So now I walk towards the clearing where my Galadhrim should be resting, yet instead I hear laughing and jeering.

My heart freezes as I rush over to see the girl thrown into the water, still blind-folded and tied.

"What is the meaning of this?" I yell. They all quiet down and look at me with shamed eyes.

"She's not coming to the surface," one of the elves said, sounding afraid. Everyone looked at the still water. A few bubbles had floated to the top but there was no sign of the elleth.

Without thinking, I plunged into the dark water. I could barely make out a flash of white and dove for it, grabbing her arm. I swam to the surface with her as quickly as I could. I was panicked. She was not moving. What if she had died? I would have failed my duty to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celebrian.

I brought her up to the surface and pushed her out of the water and onto the riverbank. Crawling up beside her, I saw that she was not breathing. I quickly ripped the blindfold off. It had slipped down to her neck. My heart was racing and I silently prayed that Orophin was here. His healing skills were superb. He would know what to do. I was a decent healer, but I did not know what I could do. So I did what seemed logical. I turned her over so that she was lying on her stomach and pressed down onto her. Water came spewing out of her mouth as she coughed it up. Her hands were still tied and I quickly untied them, suddenly feeling a pang of ...something..that I had never felt before...as she curled up and began to cry.

My eyes turned to my Galadrihm who stood staring at me curiously.

"I doubt the Lady and Lord would be pleased if we were to bring her back dead," I said to them. They all dropped their heads in shame. I was very angry with them. They would need to be punished for this, but that could wait as I peered down at the trembling girl.

00000000000000000000000000-Raali's POV-000000000000000000000000000000

I heard Haldir speak to his men and shivered. They did not care whether I lived or died, and would not hesitate to kill me whether for their Lord and Lady nor for themselves. I sat up and watched him chastise them, my dress practically plastered to me in an almost embarrassing way. Soon all became silent and the March warden's eyes slid to mine. I quickly looked away, afraid to meet his gaze. He was a very intimidating elf. But then one would need to be to get in such a position.

I was trembling, I realized. Not because of cold (because we elves cannot feel it) but because of pure fear. They could very well kill me if they liked. They could do anything. I was a peasant after all. My death would not be counted among their records.

I felt him come beside me and pick me up, starting to carry me towards some random tree. These Lorien folk were strange, living in trees so high and such.

I looked at the Lorien soldiers as I passed by. Some looked at me in awe and the rest just stared.

"That dip in the water did wonders to her,"I heard someone say. Yet these comments were only heard by me and the March warden kept walking. I looked up to observe his features. He was quite handsome. His hair was pale gold and his eyes were a cold silver. They reminded me slightly of the color of cold steel, their color and gaze. He was simply beautiful. Everything about him screamed power, dominance, and a need for obedience and respect.

He glanced down at me and I felt small, trapped in his gaze, in his arms. Yet try as I might, I could not look away and then I was lifted into a tree and set down gently on a wooden floor.

"The Lady has ordered clothing for you," he said and threw a dress towards me. It was very beautiful. It was white and gold, something that I would have to sell my house for yet this elf was giving it to me to wear.

"Can I keep it?" I asked, trying not to smile out of sheer glee. When he nodded, I suddenly stopped and looked at the dress. It was so beautiful, so intricate...but...well it was actually too intricate. In fact I didn't even know what to do with it. I didn't know how to put it on!

"I'll leave you alone so that you can change," he said and dropped out of sight. I looked at the dress curiously and wondered how I was going to approach this. I was thankful that he was polite to lay out some undergarments for me as well, for mine were sopping wet and certainly not as nice as these. I stripped and put those on first and then looked at the dress. I would get into it...somehow...

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Should I continue? Should I not? What would you like to see happen? What wouldn't you like to see happen? All feedback and criticism welcome! Flames will be used to cook babies!


	2. Raali 2

'So I simply have to loop this around my arm...no that can't be right,' Raali thought, frowning as she struggled with the dress. 'Maybe if I just...'

_RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP_

"Oh shit," she whispered to herself. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit!"

The delicate fabric had torn a good way through the dress as she struggled to get herself into it. She stared at the tear in shock, mouth gaping.

A sharp knock jolted her.

"Are you done in there?" Haldir called, obviously irritated. From the nearness of his voice, she could tell he was right underneath the opening in the floor.

"Um...no,"she said softly and heard him tell her to hurry and dress faster.

'Yea, why don't you try and get into this maze of a dress, you daft sod,' she thought as she scowled.

Her heart felt like it was going to implode. She hadn't felt this frightened since her mother caught her stealing apples from a neighbor's tree. What would she tell the March Warden? Or worse yet, what would she tell the Lady of Lorien?

Raali scoured the room for something...anything..but there was nothing that could help her...unless...

She ripped the dress down the middle and decided to improvise. She wrapped the majority of it around herself, toga-like and then used the strips to tie everything into place.

'Who says I can't be resourceful,' she giggled to herself.

"Are you done in there?" a severely annoyed Haldir yelled once more.

"Yes, I'm done," Raali said and watched as he climbed up into the room and stopped, barely able to stop from gaping at her and then regaining his composure.

"What in the name of Elbereth have you done?" his expression was one of pure horror and revulsion. "We give you a beautiful dress and you wear it like...like...a peasant! Have you no shame?"

"Well it ripped and-" she stared to explain but was cut off.

"It ripped" he said it in a matter-of-fact way. "Very well, village brat. If that is how you wish to honor the Lady, so be it."

"I didn't mean to," Raali said in a small voice. "I've never worn anything like it before and I just-"

"Hold your tongue, " Haldir said, glaring at her with fury. He approached her stealthily, anger radiating off of him as his glare bore down into her. "I am so sick of dealing with peasant scum like yourself. You deserve no one's pity. I told you to do a simple thing. It was a kind gesture even, from the Lady herself, despite your criminal intentions, and what do you do? You make it into rags! Uncivilized little savage!"

The slap echoed across the room.

"You can call me peasant scum, if that is what I appear to you," Raali said through hot tears, " But don't you ever call me a savage again! You are the savage for treating me like this! You and your band of orcs!"

Truthfully, she had not meant to slap him, but his words made her blood boil and always she had been taught never to take that kind of talk from anyone. Being hard and tough was what kept her and her family alive. Village life was not easy. One must learn to take care of themselves to survive. And so she did, but now deeply regretted hitting him as she saw the look in his eyes.

Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her to him and growled in her ear, "Do that again and there will be no need to tie your hands for you will have none in the first place!" Grabbing her roughly, he moved her down the ladder like a small child carries a cat and then dropped her carelessly so that she fell into the dirt.

"Where you belong," she heard someone growl.

Rising to her feet and brushing herself off, she looked around to find all the elves still and staring at her.

"What did you do to the Lady's dress?" someone finally spoke.

"Minor adjustments," muttered Raali and felt herself lifted and deposited onto a horse. Haldir moved behind her and she felt herself blush as he secured her with his arms. She was glad that he could not see her face, even though it was a subtle blush. She was not used to being handled like this. She wondered if elleths of the higher classes were always touched in this manner, but she admitted to herself that she rather liked this, even though she did not care for the snooty elf's disposition.

Suddenly, Raali remembered her horse. How could she have forgotten! Few villagers, if any, owned their own horses. Raali, however, received her horse from her older brother, Sidrath, who had disappeared to find a better life outside the village. Where he went no one knew, yet he left his horse to Raali and for that she was forever grateful.

"Where is my horse?" she asked Haldir as they plodded along. She had interrupted his conversation with another elf and he seemed quite put off with this.

"If you're going to ask if you can ride it, you can think again," Haldir snapped and continued talking.

"I did not ask if I could ride it, I asked where my horse is!" she growled.

"Besides the stench of the peasants," he ignored her, "I also cannot stand their uncivilized use of our beautiful language." Then he turned to her. "I bid you, speak no more. You pollute every word."

Raali fought the tears welling up in her eyes yet she did not fight her rising temper. If he said one more thing...

"I believe I pulled you out of that river far too quickly," Haldir smirked, sniffing the air around him. "Perhaps if I had left you in there a bit longer, it would force you to bathe." Everyone around him burst into laughter. Everyone with the exception of Raali who snapped.

Elbowing Haldir in the stomach, Raali pushed herself off the horse and swiftly spotted her own. Dodging the elf who tried to grab her as she ran to her horse, she quickly mounted and rode off in the opposite direction.

'I am no helpless little peasant girl,' she thought to herself as triumph ran through her veins, 'Well...I may be a peasant and a girl, but I am not helpless nor little! And this proves it!'

Yet suddenly, her horse stopped and would not move. It was some kind of spell. Willing it on in a panic, she turned to see the March Warden and some of his fellow Orcs (as she dubbed them) burst their way towards her. Heart pounding, she jumped off her horse and immediately started to run. This was alright. Village girls were used to running. Whether it was from Orc attacks or their mother's cruel hands or their siblings, village girls could run fast. And run she did.

Of course, she forgot the minor detail that they were on horseback and she was not and cried out in frustration as she was once again deposited in front of the March Warden.

"Try that again," Haldir warned through gritted teeth," and I'll make sure you will have nothing to run nor walk on!"

"What's with you and severing limbs?" she scowled, but he said nothing.

Tired and defeated, Raali sighed and relaxed, ignoring the murmur of conversation around her as their horses continued down a narrow path. Her thoughts turned to her mother whose eyes had been so strange last. Truthfully, she herself wondered what was in the letter. Her mother and father had not spoken in 650 years and she had not seen him for 300. He had another family now in Mirkwood. Her mother had not contacted him in all this time and she wondered what the reason was now. She yearned to know what was in the letter. The letter that made her a criminal in this land.

The horse had stopped suddenly and without a word, she was set down on the ground. Someone had thrown a piece of bread at her feet and a water skin and she ate and drank all too happily. Curling up on the ground, she made herself comfortable by burrowing herself into a tree's roots where she could almost feel it hug her. She had fallen asleep like this many times before when she would venture out in the woods with her brother. She missed those days and sighed as she closed her eyes.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooHaldir's POVoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

"Just what in the name of Elbereth were you all thinking?" my voice harsh as I chastised my soldiers. "She could have died! What would the Lord and Lady say? You risked the honor of us all with that little stunt!"

There was utter and complete silence and I felt respect and fear radiate off of them.

Good. That is how it should be.

"Telis!" I called. He stepped out away from the line. "You were the one who threw her in the water. Explain yourself."

"We-I truly meant no harm," he explained, the slightest hint of fear in his voice. "You know I like our jokes, but we-I did not mean for it to go that far. I never meant for her life to be in danger. That would be the last thing I would wish upon a fellow elf, even if she is a peasant criminal."

"I commend you for trying to take the blame, Telis," my tone softened slightly, only slightly, "But you will all be punished nevertheless." They all nodded. "Yet that can wait till we get back to the city." I heard many of them breath out sighs of relief.

Smirking, I ordered the rest of keep watch and climbed up to my makeshift talan.

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooRaali's POVoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Waking up, I stretched out my back and yawned. Sleeping with the trees was not as comfortable as I remembered it to be. But then, I was with Sidrath at the time and was small enough to fall asleep on his lap. Looking up, I saw that it was still night and I had not slept all that long at all. I sat there for sometime, staring at the other elves as they told stories and laughed around the fire. They all looked over at me and started to talk loudly.

"It is a pity that this forest gets like that at night," one of them said.

"Oh yes, Ridlan, it can get quite frightening, what with the ghosts," another said.

"And the giant spiders!" another piped in.

"And the orcs!" and another.

"And the goblins!" and another.

"They feast upon small elleths," the one called Ridlan said in a frightening voice. "It is their favorite snack. And they will watch her when she is all alone, sitting away from the group and then they will snatch her!"

I jumped at this and raced over to a nearby ladder and started to climb. I was almost certain the March Warden was up there. Who else would get such shnazzy treatment?

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooHaldir's POVooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

My irritation grew as I heard her light footsteps ascend up the ladder.

'Tomorrow,' I reminded myself. 'Tomorrow we will be back home.'

I did not turn to look at her as she stood in front of me but merely continued to read by the light of my lamp.

"March Warden," her soft voice broke the silence. I said nothing. I had no wish to speak with her nor hear her butchery of our beloved Sindarin.

"March Warden, will you listen?" she said a bit louder.

"I have no wish to listen to you," I replied, hoping that my tone would frighten her away as it did with so many others. Yet to my surprise, she did not flee.

"There are spiders out there," she said, looking at me with hopeful eyes. " Giant spiders. There are also orcs and goblins and ghosts as well and many other horrible creatures. Might I just stay up here and sleep for one night?"

I turned to her, an eyebrow raised, "Spiders? Ghosts? How many times do I have to tell you, peasant brat, this is NOT Mirkwood!"

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooRaali's POVoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

"But your soldiers..." I trailed off as I saw the angry look on his face. Truthfully, at this point, I did not care. I was not about to be eaten by spiders!

"Do you believe everything you hear, peasant brat?" Haldir turned away from me with his book.

"No, Warden, I do not but when I believe my life to be in danger, I do not take it as a laughing matter!" I cried. "And don't call me peasant brat! I have a name!"

"And I do not care to know it, peasant wench, now leave before I make you wish that you _were_ with the spiders," he growled at me.

"So there are spiders!" I cried. I saw him clench his jaw, but I'd be damned if I moved from this spot! He seemed to sense my defiance and moved off his (rather nice) bed and walked towards me. It was at this point that I realized that he was not wearing his tunic, exposing the muscle underneath. None of the village elves had muscles like that...

Swallowing, I forced my eyes to settle on his face where he watched me with subtle anger and irritation. He towered over me, but hell if I was going to let him push me around.

'He's not allowed to hurt me,' I reminded myself and smiled slightly at this thought.

"I am going to watch you climb down that ladder," he said softly," and you will never climb back up here again. Is that clear?"

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooNarratoroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Raali looked up at him through misty blue eyes.

"Please March Warden?" she asked kindly, "I will not bother you. I will merely sleep in the corner and make no sound. I swear it!"

"Swear it?" he spat, his eyes roaming over her small form, making her uncomfortable, "All you have said so far has been a lie."

"No it hasn't!"she cried, getting angry, "Your Lady will see to it that justice prevails and I will be set free and I hope she punishes you beyond your wildest imagination."

"You're right," he said to her, giving her a glimmer of hope. "But until she does, you will climb back down that ladder."

"I'm scared," Raali whispered, her saphire eyes piercing through his steel greys, "Won't you have some mercy?"

He looked down at her, his face expressionless and unreadable.

Glowering, he muttered, "In the corner and if you make a sound, I'll feed you to the spiders myself."

Beaming up at him, she nodded and ran to the corner farthest away from him and huddled up. Soon, all that was heard was the steady breathing of her sleep and the crickets outside.

Grumbling to himself softly, he walked over and draped a blanket over her and then went back to his own bed, blowing out his lamp and succumbing to sleep.

* * *

A/N: I just want to thank everyone for reading and liking it...or the first chapter at least! I hope this is to your liking as well. Just wanted to thank Tiffany for all the support. Glad to know someone likes my style of writing and keeps up with my other stories. You totally made my day with that review. My Lab fic, edge of time and space, has now been uploaded to but I have not gotten to the ending yet. I'm have writer's block for Dil LOTR remix.But I will finish it soon...hopefully. Thank you all for reviewing and enjoying! I hope you continue to do so! 


	3. Raali 3

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Raali groaned as she was nudged awake by an impatient March Warden's boot.

"I assume you mean joking?" he said, smirking down at her. "I do not joke." Raali bit back a snide remark and let him continue. "We are expected to arrive by mid-afternoon. I plan to achieve that goal and no one is going to stop me. Now get up." He nudged her hip with his foot.

"I'm up, I'm up," she said, now thoroughly annoyed. She followed him down the ladder where some of the Galadhrim were snickering. Yet with one look from Haldir, the whispers and laughs died and everyone was scurrying around getting things packed up.

Haldir was setting up his horse with Raali in his line of sight. He knew he had to constantly watch her, or else something would go wrong. Something always goes wrong with people like her.

"Pleasant night, Haldir?" Telis approached, his horse ready for the journey home. A joyful smile was on his face. In fact, almost everyone held a joyful smile, except for Haldir and Raali.

"Hardly," the March Warden snapped, not even bothering to look at him. He knew what Telis was getting at and he surely did not like it.

"I am only teasing Haldir," Telis laughed. "We all know nothing of the sort happened, but we all just thought it would be a good idea to send her up with you. We certainly did not want to watch her the entire night."

Haldir stopped, and turned to Telis, a cold expression on his face.

"It's quite alright really," he said with a slight smile on his face, "Because now I can decide for certain what your punishment will be once we get home. You certainly did a good job of putting me in a foul mood these past few days." Telis looked upset, quickly nodded and walked away.

Turning to Raali, Haldir found her staring at him in a disapproving way.

"That wasn't very nice," she said, studying him cautiously. He looked a bit angry at the moment and she quickly regretted saying anything. But instead of replying, he merely grabbed her, tied her wrists, and put her on the horse and then mounted after her.

A few hours later, the glory of Caras Galadhon was visible from the forested hill that they stood on.

Raali gaped. She had never imagined an elvish city to be so beautiful, but there it was. She wondered about the glamorous lives of all the city elves and a steady stream of jealousy poured through her. She wished so much that she could be one of those elves, beautiful and cultured and dainty with barely any dirt under their fingernails from working in the fields or the stables.

The epitome of perfection.

Haldir laughed as he saw the astonished look on Raali's face. He always loved to watch the expressions of those who first laid their eyes on Caras Galadhon, but something about Raali's reaction made him laugh. Something he rarely did.

The rest of the guard looked back at him, a curious look in their eyes and Raali merely sat there in front of him, staring back at him as if he was insane.

"You look as if you have never seen such a beautiful sight," he said.

"Indeed I have not," she nodded. "But why did you laugh?"

"The expression on your face was humorous," he smiled slightly. To his surprise, she smiled back. "Too bad you're a filthy peasant criminal. Enjoy this sight while you can. You may never get to see it again."

And the mood was spoilt.

Raali turned around swiftly and faced forward. His words stung her yet she sucked it up and decided to stay quiet for the rest of the way there.

Haldir did not know what caused him to say those cruel words. He was quite shocked with himself yet swiftly decided that it was the right thing to say. After all, why should she be treated with respect? She was a criminal after all.

By the time they were at the towering gates of Lothlorien, it was mid-afternoon, as planned. The guards at the wall and quite a few other elves greeted the party as they approached.

"Telis! Telis!" a beautiful blonde elf cried and Raali watched dreamily as Telis jumped off his horse and ran to her and embraced her passionately. There was not such affection in the village, no. Who had time for love when there was work to be done? Constant constant work.

It was clearly some kind of celebration. Everywhere there were beautiful fair-haired elves with eyes paler than her own. She knew she stood out as they stared at her. She was in fact the only one with dark hair and her dress was less than elegant.

As they passed through the gates, Raali's eyes feasted on the sight before her. The trees were the tallest and most beautiful she had ever seen and everything was very high up. Spiraling stair cases hugged the trees bark and everything seemed so...serene and beautiful. A complete contrast to her own world.

Another pang of jealousy hit. Oh how she wished she was born into this. Oh how she truly wished.

_I look forward to our meeting, Raalith, daughter of Rallor. _

Raali jumped and looked around wildly.

"A ladies voice," she said panicked. "A ladies voice was in my head!"

"I see Lady Galadriel has chosen to speak to you early," Haldir said behind her. "Fret not. You will see her in a few moments."

The horse suddenly stopped and with her hands still tied, Haldir dismounted and lifted her off the saddle as well. Leading her to a tunnel with a staircase spiraling upwards, they started the ascent to the Lord and Lady's throne room. The tunnel was not truly a tunnel but it seemed like it to Raali. It was wood intertwined so that there was a railing and twisting branches surrounding the staircase but it was not close together and so Raali could see the city as they climbed higher and higher.

When they finally reached the platform, Raali looked around at the beauty of the throne room. It was actually nothing special, but had it's own beauty to it. It seemed warm and welcoming, as if prompting her to relax. But she suddenly tensed as she saw the growing light.

Out of that light stepped Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, two of the most beautiful beings Raali had ever set her eyes on. Her mouth unconsciously gaped open as she stared and Haldir, noticing this, quickly used one hand to gently close it. She then bowed low as the rest of the elves did.

They now sat on their white thrones, glowing in all their glory. Raali's eyes had actually teared from it all. This city, these elves, the Lord and Lady. It was all too much. She consciously thanked the Valar that she at least had the chance to see such sights before...before...well before whatever happened to her now.

"Raalith, daughter of Rallor, do you know why you have been brought before us?" the Lady Galadriel spoke softly.

Raali chose her words carefully. "I regret to say I do not, my Lady," she then bowed...again. While the rest of the court stared at Raali as if she had three heads, the Lady and Lord merely looked at each other and smiled.

"What are you doing?" hissed Haldir in a harsh whisper. "You don't need to bow every time you say something." Raali's face grew slightly pink.

"Oh," was her response before she quickly straightened up again.

"You have been convicted of a crime, Raalith," the Lady spoke once more. "Do you know what that crime is?"

Again Raali answered, "I regret to say I do not, my Lady." She had the urge to bow again but one look at Haldir suppressed it.

"You have been convicted of robbery, Raalith," the Lady said. "And you have been sent here by your mother to receive punishment." Raali's heart seemed to catch in her throat and she felt tears spring to her eyes.

The Lady continued," Or so the letter you carried says."

Raali could feel the eyes of the other elves in the place glare into her and again suppressed her urge to run out of the room and out of this city. How humiliated she felt. How disgusting. She had not realized that the neighbor's apples had been so sacred, but that had been many years ago. Why was she being punished now?

"But that was the first of two letters," Lady Galadriel's voice turned grave, "The other one tells a much sadder tale." Raali felt her heart sink and she closed her eyes, hoping the room would disappear and that this had all been a dream. But when she opened them, the Lady was looking at her with a gentle expression.

"Your mother had sent a letter to me with a messenger dove mere hours before she sent you off," the Lady said, her tone softening, "A band of Orcs had been spotted coming towards the village when she made you leave. She knew you would not leave if you knew this and so she sent you off with directions to Lothlorien and the letter which has convicted you. She asked me to give you work in the city and to spare you and take you in. She wrote the letter and knew that it would be sure to be found and read by the guards of Lothlorien. They would be forced to bring you. And indeed they did.."

Raali felt herself go numb. She couldn't believe it. It didn't seem real to her. For some reason, she kept expecting to wake up in her own bed at home...or in the soft hay of the stables or barn.

"Fret not, Raali," the Lady said with a gentle kindness, "Your mother and all those who were slain, rest in the Halls of Mandos now. They fought bravely, Raali."

She was touched that the Lady called her Raali without the 'th' at the end. It always sounded horribly formal that way and she disliked it greatly when elves in her village would call her that. Yet her attention and thoughts flew to her mother. Raali couldn't bring herself to think about how much she had suffered in her long life and then to die...to die like_ that_.

It was terror that filled her then. She really was all alone. There was no mother to care for her. She was without a village. And now she was in this unfamiliar place...

'Maybe they were wrong,' Raali thought with hope, 'maybe my mother is still alive and the village still stands.'

_Do not fantasize, child. It will only add to your grief._

Dumbstruck, Raali looked up at the Lord and Lady with wide eyes. Yet they merely sat smiling at her in a loving way.

"This is your home now, Raali," Lord Celeborn said, "We will abide by your mother's last wishes and take you in as our own. We have not done such a thing in over 500 years, yet you are certainly worthy of this exception."

"You will be given a place to live," Lady Galadriel stated softly, "and a place to work. We have already set up your talan. It will coincide with your occupation, one that Lord Celeborn and I have given great thought to."

"You will be a warden, a guard, under our current March Warden, Haldir," Lord Celeborn said and everything suddenly grew quiet. It seemed that no one even breathed.

Looking over at Haldir, she noticed a slightly baffled and horrified look on his face as he stared up at Celeborn.

"Go now and rest, Raali," the Lady smiled and stood, "An escort will be sent to show you where your talan will be." Raali merely nodded and said thank you but was too shocked to do or say much else.

She felt someone leading her out of the room, but it was a blur. The escort did not talk nor did she. She was still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened.

The escort said nothing as they walked and walked underneath the beauty of the trees. There was singing suddenly. Morose and beautiful.

A lament for her mother and those that were killed in the village.

The escort led her up several flights of stairs and then opened the door to her new talan and led her inside. Once inside, he bowed and left without a word. And Raali could finally succumb to her tears.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter wasn't my best, I admit but that's only because it's a linking chapter and it needed to be done. So there it is. My computer stopped working for a while so I apologize for the delay. I wanted to thank everyone who has been super supportive and who has kept up with the story so far. I am bolding the important things you need to know when I reply that apply to everyone in general.**

**Baby Burning tally 0 —keep it up guys!**

Inkeepingsecrets: You love me? oh and my story...but...you love me? You really love me! ASL? Haha I kid I kid..Enjoy!...the story I mean

Anonymous: **My other fic will be updated within the next month. Sorry! It's just..it's going to be the last chapter and I am sooo blocked up with ideas. I can't decide on anything**. But I am so glad you're liking this. Thanks :-)

Leah: How do you know I won't like it? ;-)

Luminata: For real! And it's only the beginning! Thanks darling!

Haldir's heart and soul: **As for the question of her being a Mary Sue, I don't know about that. I'd like to think that she's not, but you never know. Once you create a character, they decide what they want to be. Not me.** Thanks for the review.

Atlante Mordo: Thanks I will

legolasnDcolorblueinterestme: wow...it sucked writing your name out (and I have to or things get complicated). **As for Raali's speech, I was/am trying to create an obvious rift between her and the elves of the city. Hope most of you caught on. ;-) **I am glad it was to your liking. I will try to update more often.

Moxie: Thanks! **and no, this is not based on the Dostoevsky novel. I am just shit with titles and it seemed proper at the time...**

Tiffany: once again you totally made my day with your review. I will try to cut down on the POV switching! Sorry for the headache!

Storm: thanks!

Dark elvish angel of shadow: nice name. :-) blushes Oh you loyal reader. I smiled when I read that. **And you are absolutely right about the eye color. I think the green eyes came from my Labyrinth story so I apologize for that.** I'll change it in my other chapters. Thanks so much for catching that!

Dark Angels: I love reviews that compliment my writing style because is truly a place to improve your writing (even if they can be complete arses sometimes). Thank you so much!

Brownie24:wee! You were so into it in the review! I love that! I really hope you continue to like what's going on! Thanks!


	4. Raali 4

Raali opened her eyes and nearly jumped at the unfamiliar surroundings. She rose slowly from where she had fallen asleep on the floor.

Where was she?

A sudden realization dawned on her and she sighed in relief. And in despair. The news of her mother's death was traumatic at the least. She, Raali, was all alone in a strange city with strange people and she did not belong. She knew she did not. Their eyes told her she did not.

"The Valar work in strange ways," her mother once told her. Raali truly believed that now. At first she thought she would fade from the grief and as consciousness left her, she hoped to be united with her mother at last. Yet, she merely fell asleep and had awaken, alone and hungry.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she had spotted a lamp and some oil and quickly lit it. She almost gasped as the surroundings of the room made her eyes fill up with tears. Never before had she experienced such luxury. The talan was three times the size of her home in the village and it had furnishings that one could only dream of, all made of fine wood carved by expert hands.

She even had a kitchen! And as she opened the cabinets, she found pots and pans, but alas, not food. She would have to find some later.

Walking down a hallway ("I have a hallway!" she squealed), she turned to one room that was a grand bathroom that again made her gasp and nearly faint. She opened an adjacent door and found her bedroom. Bracing the wall, she entered slowly and walked to the bed, feeling the ivory curtains of the canopy and the intricate wooden carvings of the posts. Opening, the curtains, she saw what seemed like the biggest, most beautiful bed in her entire life. The covering was so very soft and smooth as she moved her hands over it. She also noticed she had a vanity, a dresser, and an armoire.

'I wish I actually had something to fill those,' she thought sadly.

This was a dream. It had to be! Raali pinched herself hard, but nothing happened. She opened her armoire and to her surprise, found several simple but elegant dresses and even some shoes! She was sure she could fit into these. And in her dresser, she found several pairs of undergarments. These would surely prove to be useful.

After taking a (very) long, hot bath and after putting on fresh undergarments, she walked to the armoire and plucked a dress out. She then, with much struggle, brushed out the tangles out of her long wet hair and let it hang, dripping, by her waist. She watched herself in the mirror and twirled. The dress was long, light, and elegant.

Yet her smile faded as her thoughts traveled to her mother once more. How she wished that she could experience this with her. All her life she had been living in squalor. She deserved better! Tears filled her eyes once more.

"This is for you, nana," Raali whispered to the mirror and then left the room. She wanted to push her life in the village to the back of her mind and this filled her with shame. She should not forget where she came from, she knew this, yet every time she thought of it, where she came from made her different from everyone else here. And she only wanted to fit in and belong with these people, not be different. Her hair color had already managed to label her as the outsider. She did not want her past to as well.

She stood in front of the door, heart pounding hard against her chest. She was so very nervous and excited. She wondered what she would see when she stepped outside and she wondered what people would say, how they would react to her presence or if they would at all.

Pushing the door open, she stepped into the night and gaped at the beauty before her. Everything glowed in a white ethereal light and she watched and heard the people of Lorien talk and sing. They were so very happy. Such happy people.

Raali wanted to be one of those happy people.

Raali wanted to be happy.

Yet as she looked down, she noted how beautiful they all were. Such beauty was only spoken of in the village. She suddenly felt inferior and wanted to retreat. She wanted to go back inside her talan and hide there forever so none of these gorgeous creatures would have to gaze on such a hideous sight as herself.

Yet on a far off table that was mostly deserted, she saw steaming rolls of bread and vegetables as well as jugs of sweet wine and bowls of berries. Her mouth watered at the sight and she practically gasped as her foot lowered down onto a lower step. Then her other foot followed.

Down, down, down the spiraling staircase she went until she felt the firm ground underneath her feet. Moving swiftly in the shadows, she walked quietly up to the festivities. It was indeed a celebration for those who had come home. From the shadows, she watched all the happy elves, drinking and dancing and singing. She swallowed a pang of jealousy and proceeded to the lone table at the very edge of the celebration.

She pondered momentarily what would happen if she was seen and decided that nothing would happen. These were all good-hearted people and they would accept her. They had to! They just had to!

Quickly, pushing it out of her mind, she walked to the table and started to reach for a roll. It looked so hot and delicious, steam rolling off of it and butter slathered on the top and oozing out from the center. If she could only have just one...

The smell was unbelievable and her hand was almost on it, when it was suddenly slapped away.

Raali's eyes ascended to meet those of a smirking elleth.

"In civilized society, we use UTENSILS," she sneered and shoved a fork into Raali's hand, walking away. She had wanted to answer back "so do we, it's just I'm so hungry, I was not thinking," but the contempt in the elleth's voice shocked her. She noticed several heads, turning to peer at her. Some in mild amusement and some in ...a not so nice way.

Raali shook away the bad feelings that suddenly gripped her and then prepared to stick her fork into one of the rolls again when someone grabbed her fork away from her.

"Oh, what now!" she exclaimed, frustrated, and then quickly regretted her outburst as she stood staring wide-eyed at the glaring March Warden.

"March Warden," she said in a suddenly quiet tone and curtsied slightly. All she wanted was one roll dammit! Why was this so hard!

She heard quiet laughter and before he could speak, she turned and walked swiftly into the shadows.

Tears slipped out of her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to keep them in. Fit in? Hah! That was laughable! Who was she kidding? These people would never accept her. They wouldn't even share their food with her!

And to make things even worse, she realized she did not know where she was going. Sighing, she spotted a somewhat secluded bench and plopped herself down, drawing her knees to her chest. It was quiet here and it seemed that almost every elf in Lorien was at the festivities.

She took a recap of the situation. So now, she was alone, hungry, AND lost. Wonderful.

She loved her uncanny ability to get herself into these types of situations. This screamed Raali all over it.

Yet she still couldn't face the injustice of it all and felt several hot tears trickle down her cheek. Bowing her head, she suddenly smelled the sweetness of the roll and looked up to see a roll, still steaming, on a fine plate. She set her feet on the ground and took the plate, thanking the stranger in a small and shaky voice. Her eyes traveled up to meet that of the cool grey of the March Warden's.

"I was simply going to tell you to put it on a plate," he said in a cool voice, "That is how it is done here in Lorien."

"It is how it is done in my village as well, but I was just so hungry," she replied, lowering her gaze to the steaming roll. She took it in her hand, feeling its warmth and then plunged her teeth into it. It was the most delicious thing she ever tasted.

"Lady Galadriel has put you under my command and you are to become a guard," he said, watching her devour the roll in slight amusement and disgust. "We have not had a female join our ranks in a very long time, but do not assume that you will be given special treatment. You will be treated as everyone else and are to obey my every order."

"Alright," Raali shrugged, finally finishing off the roll and setting the plate down. "Thank you for the roll."

"Yes well, I believe the Lady would dislike it very much if you starved to death," he said stiffly.

Standing up, she barely came up to his shoulders, but she matched his gaze nevertheless.

"It would not bother you if I starved to death?" she asked. "Do you feel that much hatred towards me?"

Smirking, he replied, "You are a soldier now, Raali of peasantry. Feelings do not serve you well. Feelings have nothing to do with duty."

He did not know why he was telling her this. Of course, soldiers had feelings. He had feelings surely and he was still angry that while so many others had to work so hard to rise to such a level as to be trained by him, this...this peasant brat could just waltz in so easily with no training whatsoever and expect to be trained and treated fairly by him! It made his very blood boil with antagonism towards her. No, he would not be easy on her. Not by a long shot.

"Oh?" Raali glared. "You lie, March Warden. It's written all over your face. You are merely angry towards me for some reason I cannot comprehend. Or perhaps you are just angry that you have no choice but to train me and you really do not wish to train a peasant."

"I make no attempts to hide this as you have already figured it all out," he said, stepping closer, "What a smart little peasant girl you are."

He caught her wrist in mid-air as her hand prepared to collide with his cheek. He twisted it behind her back so that she was forced to turn away from him.

"It would do you well to avoid doing that," he whispered in her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine. "And walking away from me at the festivities was not so smart either."

His grip tightened and she hissed in pain, her brow furrowing, her back arching away from him.

"In fact, it was quite rude," he said, his voice growing colder. "I take such insolence from no one. Especially not from some peasant whore. All soldiers under my command are subject to punishment if they so wish to disobey me. Learn that now and learn it quickly. This is but a warning. Next time, I will not be so kind." He let her go with a shove and she pulled herself away, rubbing her wrist and glaring at him.

"Your first training lesson is tomorrow at dawn," he told her as if nothing had happened, "Do not be late. I know how much elleths like to sleep in, but no longer will you have this luxury on training days. Tomorrow you will also need to obtain your uniform. You can get it at the armory. It opens at noon tomorrow."

"But...I thought you said I need to be training at dawn," Raali said, "How can I get my uniform if the armory opens at noon?"

Haldir seemed to pause and then smirked, "You seem to be quite a resourceful elleth. You think of something."

"But it's your duty-," she started but he cut her off.

"It's my duty to train you, not play mother," he snapped and then quickly regretted his words as her eyes filled with pain as she nodded and looked away. He had expected her to retort with something, but she had not and this made him feel worse.

Clearing his throat, he said, "You are lost. Let me lead you to your talan. It seems to be right near my own."

She nodded solemnly and followed him. They walked in silence under the soft glow of Lorien and when they finally reached her talan, she curtsied and murmured a thank you and moved quickly up the stairs. Haldir watched her as she ascended, dress fluttering around her ankles and dark hair billowing in the light wind.

His eyes turned cold as he morbidly decided, 'She deserved it. She deserved all of it.'

* * *

A/N: Yes yes mean Haldir. Just the way I like him. He will get nicer...in later chapters...but I will keep him mean for as long as I want. :-P so there 

For now, Haldir is just being a tad bit prejudiced (understatement of the century, but wutevs), but he will get over it eventually.

**Also, there seems to be some confusion as to the conviction of Raali. All the Lady said was that she was being convicted of robbery, but she did not specify what it was exactly she stole. The only thing that Raali herself could remember stealing were apples so she, Raali, assumed that it was what had convicted her. Of course, it was something much more serious and maybe if I'm not too lazy I will write it in a later chapter, but I just decided to leave it out and just say she committed a crime. Sorry if it caused some confusion!**


	5. Raali 5

Haldir rose early before dawn and prepared himself for the rough day of training that was to come. With his usual cup of tea, he wandered onto his balcony with a sight that looked out over the entire city. His eyes turned to one talan in particular that was very close to his own. He was surprised that the Lady had chosen _her_ to be its keeper.

He smirked at this, taking another sip of the steaming drink. The Lady had given the peasant brat Aqilas' talan. AQILAS' TALAN! The cup of tea shattered in his hand, but he cared not. Anger pulsed through him.

Few times, if any, did he ever question the Lady's actions, but this...this...was a big mistake, a catastrophe! To desecrate Aqilas' memory with peasant trash...it was disgusting. There were other talans. Why his? Why Aqilas'?

Aqilas had been a dear friend to Haldir since they were both very very young. They had grown up together and then served the Lord and Lady of Lorien together. They were inseparable, the best of friends two beings could be. But one day while both were on border patrol, there was an attack and Aqilas was very badly wounded. Although for almost a year he fought for his life, his body could not take it and he finally succumbed to death with his wife and Haldir by his side. His wife faded soon after.

Looking down at his hand, he noticed the blood dripping off of it and down to the forest below. Quickly healing it, he grabbed his equipment and started the walk down to the training grounds, trying to clear his mind on the way.

_There is much on your mind, March Warden of Lorien_

Haldir stopped in his tracks and turned to find the Lady, smiling kindly at him.

"There is, my Lady," he bowed.

"And you would like to ask my why it is that Lord Celeborn and I chose Aqilas' talan for Raali to settle in," she said.

"I would," Haldir nodded. The Lady's smile did not waiver. He enjoyed her smile very much. It comforted him at times like these.

"Raali is alone, Haldir," she said in a soft voice, "Her mother is dead and she is still very young and above all, naive and vulnerable. She is going through difficult times, yet there is a strength inside her that I have seen in few elves. It is trapped within her and she holds herself back from being at her full potential. We were not trying to replace Aqilas in any way nor imply that she is above him in any way, but we felt that she belonged in that talan. The talan's energy matched hers perfectly. In truth, it is the talan that chooses it keeper, not the Lord and I."

"I know, my Lady," Haldir nodded solemnly. "But somehow I feel it is but a trick..."

The Lady interrupted him curtly, "That is your own bias, March Warden. I do hope you overcome this childish prejudice of yours." If he had any less self-control he would have flinched at her tone.

"Good day, March Warden, " she said before he could reply and turned, walking away smoothly.

"Good day, my Lady," he called after her and then continued on his way to the training grounds, his mind still focusing on dark thoughts.

'So what if she is having a hard time?' he thought. He had quite a few hard times as well and no one took pity on him...

But of course, this was not entirely true. All the while, he still had his brothers, Rumil and Orophin and Raali was alone. All alone. The thought was banished from his mind. No way he would feel sympathy for her. Not if it killed him.

When he arrived, it was still before dawn, but there were a few of his soldiers and his two brothers warming up and stretching.

"...quite pretty though," Haldir caught a few words of the conversation.

"Who is quite pretty?" he asked.

"That new elleth, the one training with us," Rumil said.

"The peasant," the guard named Soras spat as he did his stretches.

"I suppose, if you're into the dark-haired types," smirked another guard.

"I know I am," Orophin grinned, leaning on his sword, "All we have around here is fair-haired elleths. Gets kind of dull sometimes, you know?"

"I prefer them fair-haired," the guard smirked.

"Me too," other elves piped in.

"It just angers me that she moved into Aqilas' talan," Soras grimaced as he stretched.

"Me as well," Haldir muttered. They all looked at him.

"Maybe we should do something about it," one of them grinned.

"Perhaps we'll find a way to...convince her not to stay there any longer," Soras said.

"No harm done," another guard chimed in. "We'll just use...gentle persuasion."

Haldir stayed quiet. At this point, even after conversing with the Lady, he still felt nothing towards the girl. No sympathy. No compassion. Nothing. Except perhaps white hot anger.

"Still pretty though," Orophin smiled, "Perhaps she would like to move in with me." Quiet laughter erupted from the elves.

"Pretty she may be," Haldir said darkly. "But being pretty won't save your life in battle. Battle and death are blind to beauty."

"'Tis true, "Rumil said and the rest muttered in hushed agreement.

"Still unfair though," one guard growled. "I work my arse off for decades trying to get trained and accepted into the guard and all she has to do is appear and she's in! Bloody unfair, if you ask me."

"Well her village was destroyed and her mother was killed," Rumil said quietly, "She is young and has already experienced things that no elleth her age should have to experience. I do not question the Lord and Lady's judgement. Perhaps she will be a fair-skilled fighter."

"Perhaps," muttered Haldir angrily as he polished his sword. "Nevertheless, I will still treat her like any other of the soldiers under my command."

Then all conversation hushed as someone muttered in an annoyed tone, "Here she comes."

Raali approached warily, her heart pounding hard against her chest. This morning she had not been entirely resourceful and could not find anything to change into so she simply put on a slim fitting white dress that was easy to move around in. Truthfully, she did not expect to actually do anything today. She decided that Haldir would have her polishing swords or armor. He would surely not expect her to train in a dress, would he?

'Of course not,' she assured herself as she walked further on. She had put her hair in a neat bun so that her hair would not get sweaty or dirty and she would not have to wash it again although she had never minded being dirty anyways. It seemed in this society it was a crime to have even one spot of dirt on your clothes so she decided she had best adhere to their customs.

'Then you shouldn't have worn a white dress, idiot,' she thought to herself.

When she finally arrived where the rest of the soldiers were, she bit her lip and forced herself to look at Haldir who stood practically trying not to laugh at her, along with everyone else.

"Are you going on a picnic?" he asked, finally succumbing to a cold grin while others openly laughed. Raali's eyes widened.

"W-wha...n-no," she stammered, surprised by the question. "I did not know what to wear. I cannot get the attire till noon."

"Correction," Haldir cut in sharply, "You cannot get your attire until I dismiss you from training."

"Alright," Raali frowned at him.

"Well, at least you made it on time," he said sighing and looking up at the rising sun, "It seems a few of the other soldiers did not."

He then called, "Alright line up!" Everyone scurried into a straight line. Raali did the same and made sure to align herself with the two elves on either side.

'There,' she thought,' Just like a real soldier.'

However, it seemed that Haldir begged to differ.

He walked down the line and had no complaints until he came to her. Sighing in frustration and clenching his jaw, he stood in front of her with his arms crossed.

"Raali, just what in the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked in a frustrated voice.

"Lining up?" she said, not looking at him. Her stance was completely off and she slouched.

"Back straight!" he barked. Raali practically jumped and straightened her back. He then took her chin in between his fingers and lifted it up so that her neck was straight and aligned with her back and she met his gaze.

"Eye contact, peasant brat," he said through gritted teeth, "If you have no eye contact with whom you are speaking with, it implies disrespect and soldiers under my command get punished severely for disrespect. Do not expect special treatment just because you so happen to wear a dress. Is that understood?"

She nodded, trying not to burst into tears.

"That is what you do when I tell you to line up," he said, releasing her chin and stepping back. "Learn it quickly and learn it well."

He went on and chastised no others. He then called out what each soldier would be working on that day. Most had to go to archery, but others had to work on sword skills.

Raali jumped when she heard her name and someone else's to be assigned to sword skills. After everyone was called out, she approached Haldir.

"Err, March Warden, a word?" he turned to her, gazing at her cooly. "Um..well you see...I have a slight disadvantage and I was ...err...wondering if I could just...um..work on something else today...considering-"

"I think it best that you would learn how to fight under all circumstance, wearing a dress or not," he said coldly. "I need to see your skill in this particular area today so I can tell you what kind of sword to get at the armory. Never question me, peasant. Go and do as you are told."

Raali wanted to protest but thought it best that she didn't. She turned to see her partner, Soras, smiling at her.

"Ready, my dear?" he asked, handing a sword to her. It was light and she swung it around to get the feel of it. She had not really wielded a sword like this before, but her brother had taught her some things. She was not completely helpless or so she hoped.

Yet she quickly changed her mind as Soras' sword hit hers with such strength that she felt her whole arm vibrate. Shocked, she looked up at him, but he merely gave her a sweet smile and winked, reading his stance. She did the same. She at least knew some stances. Not all, but some and she did learn how to block...just never how to be on the offensive.

Their swords clanged again as she blocked a swing from him on the right.

"Very good," he smiled. "You know how to block." Yet before Raali could respond, he swung with such speed that she could barely deflect block his sword.

"And this is just me holding back," he grinned. "Imagine what would happen if I really let you have it." Raali smiled weakly and tried to keep calm and reserved until his sword struck again. This time it was so fast she did not even see his sword move, but when she looked down, she saw that he had cut the front ties to her dress. Laughter rose from others who were watching the fight and many who were fighting stopped to watch.

Humiliated, gasping and silently thanking herself that her "real" ties were at the back, she glared at him and blocked a few quick blows from him.

She was starting to learn his style when he suddenly darted behind her and she heard his sword swing down. Her dress slid down to her shoulders and she grabbed at it, blushing and turning to glare at him and pulling it up. The laughter rose to an astounding level.

"This...this is not fair!" she proclaimed to which he merely bit back "All is fair in love and war, meleth."

Yet he then hit with such strength that her sword was knocked to the ground and she stood helpless, shocked and angry. Hair no longer in a neat bun, face flushed, dress practically falling off; she was a mess. Frowning and panting, she reaching down to grab her sword, but he slapped her hand lightly with the back of his sword and made her draw back.

She stood up and glared at him. "Let me get my sword," she growled. "This isn't fair!"

"You would have no hand nor head if I were an orc, little fool," he laughed at her.

"This is ridiculous," she rolled her eyes and reached down to get the sword again, when a great weight suddenly pushed her to the ground and she felt a sword at her throat.

"Is there a problem?" she heard a cold voice drone.

"I won, that's all," Soras grinned at her and removed his sword from her throat. He then flashed Haldir a playful smile and walked past to join a friend in some more sword play.

Haldir rolled his eyes at Soras and looked down at her with a cold and slightly amused expression, his arms crossed in an impatient stance.

Embarrassed, Raali slowly stood up, trying to hold her dress together.

"He ripped the ties of my dress," she mumbled to him while looking down at the ground.

"What did I tell you about eye contact?" he smirked. His eyes slowly made their way up and down her disheveled form. He almost smiled when he realized that she looked very similar to what an elleth would look if she had been in a...compromising situation.

Raali frowned. It was as if he was trying to embarrass her even more. She saw and heard several of the other elves laugh as they looked her way.

Meeting his eyes was perhaps one of the hardest things she had ever had to do for the sheer humiliation that she felt cut into her like a hot knife through butter. Yet she forced herself to look at him.

"He ripped the ties of my dress," she said in a softer voice.

"It has not even been two hours and you're in trouble already?" he growled. "Very well, you shall polish swords until noon and then you are dismissed to the armory. They will tailor your clothes and tell them that you want a Nothung sword. That will be quite good for you."

Raali nodded and as soon as she was dismissed from his sight, she walked over to where all the swords were.

She gaped. There were...well "lots" was an understatement. Picking up a rag from the side she picked up the first of many many many swords.

When it was finally noon and half the swords were polished and Raali's arms felt like they were going to fall off, she was finally dismissed to the armory and walked there, holding her dress together.

When she arrived, the elves there studied her carefully and suspiciously, asking her why she needed the equipment and who her superior was. As soon as Haldir's name slipped from her tongue, they began to scurry around and pulled her inside for measurements.

When they were done, they informed her that her clothes and weaponry would be ready in four hours and that they would be dropped off at her talan. Smiling, she thanked them and started to make her way back to the talan.

"Hey!" someone yelled, "dark-haired elleth! Yea you!"

Raali turned to see three grinning fair-haired elves walk down the path to her. One was an elleth and they were all grinning. That was a good sign. Or at least she hoped so.

"That was a bloody great sword fight!" said one of them and Raali blushed, looking away.

"Oh," she said "I was hoping everyone forgot about that."

"Forgot!" the other elf exclaimed, "It's the talk of the city! Of course, it's mostly about how Soras practically undressed you- ow! Tani! What was that for?- but it's also about how you put up a good fight too! Everyone really underestimated you."

"Must have been dreadful," the elleth who had elbowed the other in the ribs said, her face furrowing in concern, "I can't believe the March Warden made you train in a dress."

"Yes well, I believe he has it out for me," Raali sighed. "He doesn't seem to like me much."

"Aw come now," the first elf who spoke said in a consoling tone," It's Haldir. He's always like that to the new soldiers. Gave me a real hard time when I first started. Almost made me eat dirt."

"He DID make you eat dirt," the other elf corrected.

"Right," the first elf coughed and looked away, visibly embarrassed.

"Oh, how rude of us!" the elleth suddenly jumped. "We did not even introduce ourselves. My name is Tani. The one that ate dirt is Merel (" I did NOT eat dirt!"). And that's Eland."

"And yes I know Merel is an elleth's name," Merel spat. "And let it be know that I for one did not choose it!"

Raali laughed. For the first time in a what seemed like forever, she actually laughed.

"Well I certainly did not choose Raali," she smiled at them. "If I were to choose a nice name for me now, it would be Paulinieluvielethiel." She said it in one breath and then all four burst into laughter.

When the laughter died down, Tani asked Raali if she would like to join them for dinner tonight. And how could Raali resist? Of course, she did not and the dinner was set. Raali hurried off to bathe and change.

As she lay in the steaming tub, Raali thought the day over. It had been a grueling first day indeed, but with the help of her new found friends, she realized that she had not done so miserably after all.

* * *

** A/N: R&R por favor! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time! Brought smiles to my face:-)**

leah: yes Raali is from an elven village near Imladris. And no she is not being punished, although at first everyone thought she was. Try reading Raali 3 once more. ;-)


	6. Raali 6

Raali closed the door behind her and leaned her head against it.

'What a night,' she thought as she smiled to herself. It had been her first outing with the Lorien elves who were now her friends. It had been her first real dinner in Lorien as well and she had a simply grand time. The night was beautiful and the dinner! Oh, the dinner was just delicious and the company was delightful.

She especially enjoyed Merel's musings on how many pieces of lembas it takes to make one vomit, and Eland's sarcastic remarks on those musings, and Tani's mothering and teasing demeanor on how the two of them "are always like this."

She sighed as she lit several lamps which lit the room brightly. On the couch, someone had carefully set down her sword and several uniforms.

Raali smiled to herself as her hand ran through the soft thick fabric. She would dress the part now. She stood in the middle of the living room of her talan. It was heaven. Maybe Lorien wasn't so bad after all.

0000000000000000000000000000000Raali's POV00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

I woke up early as usual and stretched, rising out of bed and dragging myself to the bathroom. In the village I had grown accustomed to waking up at all hours so the whole 'rising before dawn' ordeal wasn't a big deal. What _was_ a big deal was how today's training would be now that I have my uniform.

No excuses this time. I have no dress to mess me up.

First, I put on the necklace that my mother had made for me when I was born. It was customary to have a necklace made for a newborn in the village and my mother had made this one. The chain was pure silver and the pendant was of a rare stone that my mother had found. She had carved it into a circular shape and had given it to me. I rarely take it off, but for the journey I had to. This whole time it was in my knapsack. I was relieved that the guards had not taken it. It was and will always be my good luck charm and in all my long years has never left me. It is all I have left of my mother and will hopefully bring me good luck at this session.

I slid into the softness of the fabric and looked in the mirror and couldn't help frowning.

This uniform definitely was not meant for an elleth. It was snug. Maybe a bit too snug. WAY TOO SNUG.

And the green clashed terribly with my eyes. Ah well, I was never big in the fashions anyways. I still find it strange how city ellethim always stressed such trivial things.

"They've nothing better to do," I reminded myself aloud, staring at my body in the mirror. "The most work these ellethim have ever done was probably doing laundry or gardening."

Yet it wasn't that I was worried about the style of the uniform. It was more of an issue of modesty. An elleth just can't walk around with something so tight against her skin.

It's. Not. Done.

Yet it was either this or wear a dress and I would not like to think of what punishment I would get if I were to wear a dress when I have a uniform.

Braiding my hair, I smirked at my reflection and flushed. Did I really want to go out there dressed like this?

No, maybe I'll just tell them I'm ill? Oh, they'll never believe that.

Before I could think of anything else, I quickly grabbed my sword and sheathed it at my waist, running out into the cool Lorien air.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Merel and Eland stretched and strained as dawn was quickly approaching. There were far more elves this time considering the harsh punishment of 20 laps around the (quite enormous) training that were forced upon those who were late the other day.

"Where the bloody hell is Raali?" Merel asked, reaching for his toes as he prepared to stretch.

"Probably powdering her nose, or whatever it is ellethim do," Eland murmured as he turned his torso sharply to the left and sighed at the relieving crack of his spine.

"I do not powder my nose!" a slightly annoyed voice said behind them.

They both turned to see Raali, geared up and ready and looking a bit...

"Provocative," Merel smiled, admiring the uniform..or rather the body that the uniform clung to. "Well, you've my attention, fair maiden."

Raali punched him in the shoulder, hard ("Ow what was that for!").

"No more of that out of either of you!" she frowned. "I was embarrassed enough as it is getting out of my talan."

"You need not worry about us saying anything," Eland smirked. "I cannot say the same for everyone else. I believe your uniform will prove to be quite...distracting."

Raali flushed and the two males laughed. Silently fuming but knowing that she should do her stretches before training, she started to do her exercises, copying Eland and Merel.

"I hate this so much," she growled as Merel and Eland teased her about the looks she was getting.

"Oh cheer up, Raali," Merel laughed, "It's not so bad. It could be worse."

"Oh yea?" Raali asked, "How?"

"You could be doing this naked," Eland shrugged.

"Or you could be doing this in front of the watchful gaze of numerous ellonim..."

Both Raali and Eland stopped their stretches and stared at Merel. Merel looked up at them.

"Oh...oh right," he laughed nervously. Raali rolled her eyes and continued.

"Do you think they could give me a bigger size?" she looked up at Eland.

"I doubt it," Eland said, "The uniforms are supposed to be fitting. Look at how they look on all the rest of us."

"Yes, but your leggings are certainly not as tight as mine," Raali scowled.

"Yes well, that is for other reasons," Eland smiled at her. "You lack a certain part of the anatomy which would provide you with looser leggings. They are really not that much looser than yours. Really, you are over-reacting."

"Over-reacting?" Raali suddenly stood. "I am _not_ over-reacting! I am simply just annoyed that I have to wear this skin-tight crap and look like...like...a human street walker, who by the way wouldn't even wear skin tight clothes like this."

"Calm down Raali," Merel said quietly, " Lest the March Warden hears you and you do not want to be caught complaining about anything. Trust me!"

Raali sat back down on the grass in a huff and continued to do her stretches until she heard Haldir's voice calling for a line up.

Excited to show him that she knew how to line up, she walked quickly alongside Merel and someone else and everyone straightened up.

"Why, good morning," a voice purred next to her. It was Soras, the fiend!

"Good morning," she answered curtly, as she lazily watched Haldir out of the corner of her eye. He was still a long way off, yelling at some unfortunate soul that had the misfortune of coughing as the March Warden stood in front of him.

"My friends and I certainly did enjoy your stretching session earlier," he said, looking ahead. "We were wondering if we could have the pleasure of watching it again tomorrow. We especially liked the point at which you bend down and-."

"Shut up you bastard!" she said quite loudly, turning to glare at him, but he continued to look ahead and remained silent.

'Bastard,' Raali thought.

She turned her head forward only to look into the quite angry eyes of the March Warden. Instantly she straightened and made eye contact.

There, was he happy?

Apparently not, because he asked, "Is there a problem?"

"No March Warden," Raali said.

"Then why did you insult your fellow soldier in front of everyone?" Haldir frowned, his voice growing colder.

"He made an inappropriate comment that I do not wish to repeat," she answered.

"Repeat it," Haldir demanded cooly. Raali swallowed. Oh hell, she'd be damned if she repeated it. He could send her to Mordor itself, but there was no way she was repeating it. It was just too embarrassing!

"I cannot, March Warden," she managed to choke out.

"Then I can only assume that you are lying," his voice was dangerous and Raali momentarily closed her eyes to block out the stinging pain of his conviction.

But she just couldn't tell Haldir what Soras had said to her! It would only make everyone laugh at her. It would make _him_ laugh at her and she would rather be scolded than laughed at.

Opening her eyes, she was once again captured by the steel gray glare.

His eyes never left hers even when he yelled in an even and loud voice, "Everyone pair up! All those to the left of me are to practice on their physical fighting skills. No weapons! All those to the right are to practice your choice of archery or sword fighting." And then in a lower voice, he added to Raali. "And you are coming with me."

He turned on his heel and started walking towards a wooded area. She followed with a backwards glance at Merel and Eland who were both giving her sympathetic looks.

'I can't wait till this day is over,' she thought as she followed the March Warden. 'If he'll allow it to be over...'

When they got to the wooded area, Haldir suddenly spun around and grabbed her arm, pushing her back against a tree.

"Now listen to me and listen good," He growled, obviously angry, "When I ask you something, you had better answer me! I do not take 'no' for an answer, do you hear me, peasant brat!"

Raali forced herself to nod, yet she was on the very verge of tears. Never had anyone really yelled at her like this.

'Raali do not cry,' she told herself over and over, 'Whatever you do, just do. not. cry!'

"I do not want you treating my soldiers that way!" he continued. "You are no better than they are! You are no better than anyone! In fact, you are further below them than you would ever imagine. You think so highly of yourself now that you supposedly joined higher elven society? You are nobody. You are nothing. You are nothing but a useless peasant whore! Remember that."

The whole 'not crying' thing did not exactly work out as planned as she had felt the first few tears slide down her cheeks as he finished his little speech. She knew she could not stop them now even if she tried.

Oh sweet Eru, how she loathed him. How she loathed him!

"Now," his voice softened as he saw the tears in her eyes. He was actually quite surprised that she had started to cry. Never in all his long years had he made anyone actually cry. His words had made soldiers flinch and maybe even soil themselves once or twice, but never cry. Yet he hid his surprise with a cool mask. "You will tell me what it was that made you insult him in such a way."

To his annoyance, Raali shook her head once more. "No," her voice soft and a bit shaky, "I won't repeat it."

"Must we get into this again?" he growled.

"I won't," she said. "You can't make me."

Big mistake.

"I can't make you?" the March Warden said coldly, "I assure you, I can be very persuasive."

She felt herself slammed hard back against the tree, his tall figure looming over her. And all she could do was cry harder and lose her military demeanor. She no longer stood erect but slouched and she was no longer making eye contact, but crying into her hand.

"Raali, stop...stop crying," Haldir ordered as gently as he could.

'Dammit!' he thought to himself, 'I am not accustomed to dealing with ellethim! If this was a male soldier, I wouldn't even be having this conversation! Stupid ellethim!'

Yet he still felt uncomfortable as she continued to cry fretfully and could not think of anything but to place his hands on her shoulders and tilt her chin up. Blue, tear-filled eyes met with cold gray ones.

"Just tell me what he said," he murmured to her softly.

"His comment was made to humiliate me," Raali said suddenly. "If I were to repeat it, I would have achieved his goal of making me feel shamed."

Haldir paused and then said, "If he made an inappropriate comment than it would be wiser to tell me about it and end this conflict before it gets out of hand. You and Soras will no doubt be in battle together one day. You will have to learn to get along."

"Because you refuse to inform me of what it was he exactly said, I cannot give him proper punishment," he continued. "And it is you who will be punished instead, for insulting him in front of your fellow soldiers."

Raali's eyes widened at this.

"You're cruel," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Perhaps," he said, his hands dropping to his sides. He stepped away from her, suddenly too aware of how close he had been to her. "But I am fair. The punishment for your actions will be decided by the one you humiliated, Soras."

"Well why don't you just spare me the trouble and feed me to the wolves?" she snapped, her mind reeling. Soras would not be just, she was sure of this.

He grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the tree again, "You will not talk to me in such a way, is this understood?"

"Yes but..."

"I am not your equal," he growled. "I am your superior. I could care less if you're not a male. You are under my command and I expect complete obedience. Understood?"

"Yes but..."

"UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes," Raali nodded and looked down. Haldir walked past her and motioned for her to follow. She followed him grudgingly, wiping the tears from her face and trying to calm herself so that no one would see she was crying.

She followed Haldir to where Soras was training and interrupted him from his archery.

"Soras, under the circumstances it was you who was wronged today," the March Warden said, "And since you were wronged it is only fair that you decide Raali's punishment."

"I urge you to be fair," he added.

Soras's blue eyes traveled to Raali, who was standing tall and straight, yet her eyes did not meet his. He smiled knowingly. Oh he would enjoy this...

"I do believe I was wrongly accused, March Warden," he said in a noble voice. He walked over to Raali who still refused to meet his gaze. "Thus I must issue punishment as I see fit."

He smiled as he saw her tense. "I want that necklace around your neck."

Finally Raali's eyes met his with a stricken horror. She shook her head and clutched at it.

"No...I can't," she said.

"It is only fair," Soras smirked. "It is a small price to pay for humiliating me."

"It-it's all I have left of my mother," her voice was failing her. "Please, don't do this."

She looked to Haldir desperately for help, but found no solace in his expression.

Soras stretched out his hand, demanding it. Closing her eyes, she unhooked the necklace from her neck and put it into his greedy palm. His fingers closed around it and he swiftly put it on himself.

"Thank you and you are forgiven," he bowed and walked away.

Raali stood numb and then looked up as a hand was placed on her shoulder. It was Merel, looking at her with sad eyes. Eland put a reassuring hand on her back. She sank to the ground, crying and they held her through it all.

For a moment, Haldir wished to be the one soothing her, stroking her hair and whispering reassuring words into her ear. Just to have her stop crying. He hated when ellethim cried, but most of all, he learned that he hated it when _she_ cried.

He felt a stab of regret as he realized that he really should have punished her himself. It was obvious Soras was not going to be fair, but he still let him go through with it.

'But no,' he suddenly thought. 'I shouldn't care. She's nothing. She's nobody. She's...'

'Attractive,' he finished for himself, 'You never could resist the pretty ones, Haldir.'

He turned and walked away, lost in thought.

'Pretty or not,' his mind continued, 'She's a peasant. She's a trouble maker. And most of all, she has a problem with authority. She desecrates the memory of my best friend. She gets into the guard without any previous training just because her mother is dead...'

He fumed as the list went on and by the time he finished, he was in a quiet rage. He no longer felt sympathy for her. What was left was a slow burning hatred.

* * *

A/N: Review por favor! Tell me what you liked/ didn't like/etc! I am working on the last chapter for the Labyrinth fic so expect an update for that within the next 2 weeks.  



	7. Raali 7

The three walked to Tani's talan in silence. Neither Eland nor Merel could find anything reassuring to say to Raali. It wouldn't be 'alright' nor would things 'work themselves out' nor anything else generic that friends say to help you feel better.

The necklace was lost to an enemy.

"Maybe you could speak with the Lady about this," Merel said suddenly.

"No," Raali shook her head. "I don't want to trouble the Lady over such trivial things. She has done enough for me already."

She sighed and they fell into silence once more.

She had to get it back. She just had to. She felt empty without it, as if something had been torn out of her very being.

"I'll talk with him tomorrow," she said in a quiet voice. Merel and Eland looked at her in a disapproving way.

"I don't think that would be wise," Eland smirked. "You could end up in a worse situation than you are now."

"Worse?" Raali gritted her teeth, "How can it be worse? I lost a part of my mother when I placed that necklace into his hand. I was foolish! I was not thinking! I should have bartered!"

"And it would have all been a waste of breath and time," Eland continued. "When Soras wants something, he goes out of his way to get it. I beg of you, stay out his way. You really don't know what you're up against."

"But I must get the necklace back!" she cried, pounding one fist into the palm of her hand.

"And perhaps you will," shrugged Merel, "Perhaps you will get it back in time."

"I don't want to wait "in time,"" Raali muttered. "I want it back now. I will make a deal with him tomorrow."

"Raali don't!" it was Merel this time. His voice was raised in anger. "All that elf will do is mess with your head. And trust me, you do not want someone like him messing with your head. Talking to him will only make things worse!"

He was obviously upset, but Raali shook her head.

"No, I must," she insisted. "I might as well try. If he refuses, then there really is nothing I can do."

"For once I am agreeing with Merel," Eland said. "Talking to him will only make things worse."

"Talking to who will make things worse?" Tani suddenly stood in front of them.

"Where did you come from?" Merel asked. "We were just walking to your talan."

"And I was just walking to the training grounds because you lot are late!" she smirked, her hands on her hips.

"Haldir kept us after for a while," murmured Raali. "Said we needed to work on our archery for a little longer."

"Well, if we don't hurry we'll miss dinner and they are serving that special herbal tea I like today so come on," she said and turned on her heel, expecting them to follow. They did, although very reluctantly and slowly.

"I feel like my arms are going to fall off," groaned Raali.

"You'll get used to it," said Eland. "Although even I'm feeling it. He did work us particularly hard today."

"Oh, I am so sorry," Raali sighed sadly.

"What for?" Eland's eyebrow quirked up.

"It's all my fault that he made you two stay as well," she said, her voice mournful, "He knows you two are my friends and since he hates me, he'll be extra mean to you now. Maybe you two shouldn't hang around me so much."

"Nonsense!" both Merel and Eland said at the same time.

"If that were to be an issue, I would not be friends with Merel," Eland laughed.

"Hey!" Merel tried to act offended, playfully punching Eland in the arm. "But he's right, you know. Haldir used to make me miserable all the time until...well...heh...actually until you came along. And now he kind of directed that distaste towards you. So I suppose I should be thank- Ow! What was that for?"

"For being an insensitive prat!" Raali stuck her tongue out at him and laughed.

They soon arrived at the dining hall and went to fill their plates. She stood in line waiting for her turn. Oh she was simply starving and the food smelled and looked so delicious.

She piled as much food as she could onto her plate and went to join her friends who were waiting for her. Raali plopped down and the meal finally began.

Dinner was as it usually was among the four friends; loud, obnoxious, and there was always a piece of food being thrown at someone at least once (it was twice this time).

"I think Raali should just get together with Soras," giggled Tani after they had all had a few jugs of wine between them, "That will help you two to make up."

They all laughed and Raali made a disgusted face.

"I wouldn't touch that fiend, Soras, if he were the last elf in Middle Earth!" Raali giggled, swaying hazardously with a goblet of wine in one hand.

"The feeling is not mutual, my lady, I assure you," a silky voice said behind Raali. She jumped, spilling a bit of wine, but turned with fiery blue eyes upon the edhel.

Eland and Merel, who were used to heavy drinking and were not as drunk, gave each other a worried look.

Raali's eyes shifted to that of his arrogant friends who stood behind him, all wearing similar expressions on their faces. How could she forget? Soras never traveled alone.

"What do you want?" she asked, her speech slightly slurred by the wine.

"Why, merely to speak with you, lady," he smiled. "Alone if possible."

"Not possible," Merel was suddenly up and between Soras and Raali. "She's intoxicated and not in her right mind to speak or do anything else for that matter."

Soras' eyebrows quirked up in a amusement. "I see no difference in her demeanor." Quiet laughter surrounded them.

Raali staggered up, clutching the table and moved a very concerned Merel out of the way.

"Talk with me here, you coward," she glared up at him. "I'll be telling my friends whatever it is you tell me anyways so you might as well tell them in front of me. So...out with it!"

Soras nodded slightly but did not seem pleased.

"Alright," he agreed. "I am here to strike a bargain." Raali's heart rate sped up and she sobered up a bit.

"You bastard," she shook her head softly with a cold look in her eye, "You had all this planned didn't you? You wanted to get me in trouble just so I would get punished and you would take my necklace to 'bargain' with me. You swine!"

"And you are of low intelligence," he continued to smile. "But now I have your necklace and you want it back. Quite a dilemma we have here."

"Alright, enough with the word games," Raali crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?

"Now that is a very wise question" Soras said, looking even more amused."What could I possibly want with a peasant like you?" His eyes raked up and down her small form and Raali bristled at his lack of shame.

"Whatever you want with her does not matter," Eland spoke up, "She is not in the right mind to make decisions."

"Well that is quite unfortunate for her," Soras said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Eland, "because this is the only time that I will bargain for the necklace. If we do not agree to something by tonight, then she can say good-bye to her pretty necklace forever." He turned to Raali and his expression softened. "That necklace means much to you."

Raali nodded.

"It was your mother's?" he inquired gently. Raali nodded again but said nothing. "Then I wager that you would do almost anything to get it back." He ignored the curses and frustrated remarks that were flying around him.

Raali merely stared at him, confused as to why anyone would be so cruel. "What is it you want, Soras of Lorien?" She was very much sobered up, although still light-headed.

"I want you to obtain something for me," Soras smiled in a way that made Raali nervous, "Once you obtain this object, then I will reward you with your necklace."

"What object? Where?" she asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"A very long time ago, when I was just starting out in the guard, something was taken away from me," he went on. "It was a dagger with a mithril handle. Very beautiful. Very powerful. Very sharp. I made the mistake of taking it to training with me and the March Warden took it away. I want it back. You will get it back for me, no?"

Raali swallowed. "W-where do I get it?" She did not like where this was going.

"It is in the March Warden's home," he said. "It should be in his room. That is where he keeps all his weapons, after all."

"If you know where it is, why don't you just get it yourself?" Eland muttered next to her.

"Because the last time I tried, I was caught and punished quite severely," Soras answered curtly.

"So you'd rather I get caught and severely punished?" Raali glared.

"Of course," he grinned. "Better you than me and besides, I have something you want."

"So how will it be, villager, will you do this task?" he asked, "because I do rather like the necklace. Perhaps I will give it to my own mother." Raali's breath caught in her throat.

He wouldn't...would he?

'Of course he would,' she realized with shock. 'I have no choice.'

Raali sighed and said. "I'll do it. Just tell me when and where his talan is."

"No!" Merel interjected. "Raali do not do this! He is sending you to your doom! You are not the first that he has tricked into doing this for him! Please, listen to me!"

"This is the only way, Merel," she replied, shaking her head. "Please understand. I need that necklace back. I need it." Merel looked down, visibly upset. Eland and Tani said nothing, but their expressions were grave and disapproving.

"I want it done tonight, when he is slightly intoxicated,"Soras said, a strange glint in his eyes, "I will lead you to it, but from there you are on your own. Once you have it, meet me at my talan and we will make the trade there."

"And if I'm caught?" she asked, fidgeting.

"Then your necklace goes to my mother," Soras said, seemingly amused. "I will meet you at your talan, _alone,_ around one in the morning. Be ready."

With a nod of the Soras' head, the group walked off. Raali groaned and sat back down. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I'm actually lucky to get anything out at all. I've been super busy. It's exam time. Sorry ya'll.**

**Mari: First, Raali is not a woman. She is an elf. An elleth. And second, no one can be strong all the time. If she were strong all the time, then she'd just be perfect and if you like reading about perfect elleths, then I suggest you avoid this story. Raali, despite her moments of strength, is going to have (and certainly has had) her moments of weakness as well. Just as if she was 'whimpering' as you so kindly put it, all the time, then the plot would be pointless since she'd be too whiny to do anything. **

** For the rest of you, yea the necklace thing WAS pretty obvious, but you will forgive me, no? I was trying to figure out a way to subtly introduce it but ran out of ideas and was kind of like "ah well screw it" but hopefully you all will enjoy the next chapter.**


	8. Raali 8

0000000000000000000000000000000000000 Raali's POV 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

There is a beauty about Lorien that I have seen in no other place. Then again, I've never really been outside the village before except on a few journeys to Rivendell but those were short stays. Father never did like to keep me around much. I caught only glimpses of the center of the city. The rest was a dense forest with a sprinkling of elven villages.

Unlike in the village, these elves had no locks on their doors. Then again, their security was much better than ours and they all trusted each other. They all knew that none of their fellow Galadrihm would ever think of invading their space without permission.

And then there is me. The outsider.

What a fool I was. That's why Soras wanted me to do this. If I was caught, I would probably be expelled from Lorien. The Lady would curse me and look at me in shame. But that is the way of the villager. We're just so damn gullible!

Oh, what did I get myself into?

Silently, I hoped for the Lady to pop up in my head and offer me guidance, but there was nothing. Only me. Only my dim thoughts.

'One who goes to Lorien lifts a thousand burdens from their heart," my mother once said.

Boy was _she_ off.

I sat on the bottom step below my talan. I had bathed and dressed in another change of uniform, put my hair into a neat bun so that it would not get in the way...

Help me Valar.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

He approached quietly, careful not to make her aware of his presence. She was quite pretty. Even prettier when she was upset. And she would be even prettier when she would be walking away crying as the city expells her and from then on, the Lady would think twice before she let a villager live amongst them.

She did not belong, this outsider. She would soon learn her place.

"It is a perfect morning," Soras's voice drifted into her ear and she tensed.

"Yes, perfect," muttered Raali. "Can I have my necklace now?"

Soras took it out and dangled it in front of her. Her hand reached out to grasp it, but he retracted the necklace. He shook a slender finger at her as if taunting a child.

"You will get yours when I get mine," he smiled.

Scowling, Raali crossed her hands across her chest. "Let's go."

They walked in silence, Soras turning his head every once in a while to smile back at her, but she glared in response.

'I hate him,' she thought angrily. 'This is definitely the most vile creature in all of Lorien.'

"NOOOOOO!" Raali almost screamed when something hard collided with her and sent her crashing to the ground. "Don't do it! Don't! PLEASE!"

"Merel, ow, get off me!" she sputtered, trying to push him off..

"No," Merel growled, "I won't. You're my friend and I am not about to watch you throw your life away for a necklace!"

Raali's expression turned cold.

"That necklace was my mother's, Merel," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm doing this and you can't stop me."

The weight was suddenly lifted as Soras pulled Merel off of her. He stumbled back a bit, and Raali's vision took in the scene. Eland was there too and Tani stood off to the side, fidgeting.

"Raali," Merel said in a voice that made her feel like the lowest scum in the world. His voice wavered with tears and she could see the hurt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Raali shook her head.

"Then at least let me follow you and wait for you to be done with it," Merel pleaded. Raali looked to Soras who seemed quite unhappy about it, but agreed anyways. Eland and Tani followed as well.

When they reached Haldir's talan, Soras bowed and said, "Good luck." He winked at Raali and slid away into the soft glow of Lorien.

"Bastard," they all mumbled.

"Alright, well, this is it," said Raali turning to the forboding steps that led to the March Warden's talan.

A hand caught her shoulder.

"You don't have to do this," it was Eland.

"But I do," and she gently moved from his grasp as she started to ascend up the steps. It was quite a while before the reached the platform and pressed her ear against the door.

Silence.

She quickly took out a canister of oil and oiled the hinges of the door, just in case. She pushed it open carefully and submerged herself in darkness. His curtains were drawn.

She stifled a giggle. The scary, tough March Warden had curtains! White lacy ones! HA!

This was too good. If she ever survived this, she would have to tell Merel.

She looked around the room. Didn't Soras say he kept his weapons in his room? Taking a deep breath, she soundlessly made her way across the room to a broad hallway.

'This place is huge!' thought Raali. And it was. It was much bigger than any talan she had ever seen. There were several doors and she wondered which one was his room.

Opening the first on the right, she opened the door to the bathroom. The next was a study.

'He can read!' she smirked as she closed it and then reminded herself that if she had a study, he would think the same about her. Then again, he probably wouldn't even want to visit her house even if she had a study, the conceited bastard!

Then all the other rooms were empty and she finally opened up one that was not.

His bedroom.

But it was empty. Haldir had not come home yet. She hoped he would not for a long time. She slowly stepped in. It was huge. No. Huge was an understatement. Haldir's bedroom was enormous.

She quickly went over to his wall of weapons. He had all kinds, but she did not see Soras' dagger. She then rummaged through his trunks, his armoires (he had three stocked full of weapons), and finally sat down on the floor in a huff.

She was a fool. A damned fool! There was no dagger like the one that Soras described! She started to get up when she suddenly heard a noise from the main room.

Haldir had come home.

Haldir pushed his way into his home and suddenly stopped and listened. There was the tiniest hint of noise coming from one of the rooms. Few elves would have been able to hear it, but his profession had fashioned his hearing to hear even the slightest of noises and he certainly heard the light patter of footsteps.

Someone was here.

He did not turn on the lights, adjusting his eyes to the darkness. He was accustomed to seeing in the dark. He often had to do so to survive.

He walked to the center of his living room and stopped. In the air was the slightest hint of rose smelling soap, the kind of soap only an elleth would use.

His amusement peaked. What would an elleth be doing in his talan at this hour and most certainly why would she be here?

His sense of smell tracked the scent to his room. Could it have been one of his former lovers lying on his bed, waiting for him. The idea amused him very much and he pushed the door open in anticipation only to reveal...

Nothing.

There was no one here, but the scent was as strong as ever, especially near his bed..

"I know you're in here, so you might as well come out before I find you myself," he said aloud in a cold voice. "You won't like what happens if I find you myself."

Suddenly, in a very quick motion, he reached underneath the bed and wrapped one hand around an ankle. He gave a tug and the elleth was pulled out from under the bed. In a quick motion, he deposited her on the bed on her stomach and pinned her down with his weight.

The elleth was breathing hard, her forehead leaning on the bed. He could feel her pulse as he held her wrists behind her back. She was scared.

Good.

Then suddenly, he noticed it. The dark hair. The bloody dark hair!

"Raali," he said in a cold voice. "What are you doing in my talan?"

He sounded so deceivingly calm but she could sense his annoyance at the situation.

"I...I...was looking for you," she stammered. 'Good,' her mind consoled her. 'Just make it up as you go along.'

"Looking for me?" he asked in a stern voice. "And pray tell why you were looking for me under my bed?"

'Damn he's good,' Raali thought. 'Ok...think of something...quickly!'

"Well," she swallowed, "People in my village would sometimes sleep underneath the bed, you see..."

There was silence.

'That was the stupidest thing you could have said,' she mentally slapped herself on the forehead.

"Really," Haldir's tone practically screamed 'I'm not buying it and you're an idiot for saying what you just said.' "Why?"

"Well, it's-it's quite logical really," she laughed nervously. "We hide...from...the...We hide from the-"

"I assure you we have no such practice in Lorien," he said curtly. "Now tell me why you were really in my talan?"

"I told you, I was looking- oh!" she cried out she his grip on her wrists tightened painfully. It felt like he was going to snap them in half. He leaned down so close that she could feel his breath on her ear and shivered slightly from the sensation. His body, warm and hard, had pressed her deeper into the bed.

She had been in a situation very similar to this except the other person was a village boy and she was pressed against hay and she certainly wasn't in any trouble. At least, not if her mother didn't manage to catch her. If this was any other situation, she would have definitely found this quite erotic, but she was in big trouble and she pushed any thoughts that her libido threatened to put into her head out. She needed to think clearly.

"I want the truth," he said through gritted teeth.

"I-I can't," she answered in a meek voice. She was so tired. She just wanted him to give her her punishment of twenty billion laps around Lorien and then everything would be fine and good.

He flipped her over suddenly so that she was forced to stare wide-eyed at him. It was the most intimidating sight she had ever seen. Even worse than when her mother discovered her stealing apples from the neighbor's orchard and that was saying a lot.

He leaned down to make sure that she received the full force of his glare and threat.

"Can you possibly comprehend how much trouble you are in?" he said in a tone that made Raali tremble. Normally, she wouldn't be taking this kind of crap from him, but she was in a very compromising situation. "I could have you exiled from the city! And if I really wanted, I could have you exiled from every elvish city on Middle Earth!" That wasn't actually true, but he wanted to scare her. He waited a moment for it to sink in and then continued. "And the Lady. What would the Lady say?"

"Don't tell the Lady!" Raali cried out, her eyes tear filled. "Not the Lady!"

"She would be the first to know," he glared down at her. He would have laughed then at how gullible she was but decided against it.

"But I just can't tell you!" she shook her head. "I'll never get it back then!" She then gasped at the realization of what she had said and turned her head sharply to the side to avoid his piercing gaze.

"You're talking about the necklace," the March Warden stated as if he had figured everything out. "You were going to steal something from me to get the necklace back."

"No!" Raali said, panic filling her eyes. She looked deep into his, looking for some kind of emotional response to her tears, but he merely glared at her cooly, which hurt her very much for some reason. "That's not how it was at all! He said he wanted me to get his dagger! It was his dagger I needed, not anything of yours!"

"Soras, you mean," smirked Haldir. "Are you blaming it on Soras now?"

"No!" Raali said, now getting agitated at the fact that she thought he was making it up. "Soras told me to get his dagger from you so that I could have my mother's necklace back!"

"I don't have Soras' dagger," said the March Warden calmly. "And even Soras has his limits. This does not sound like something he would do."

"I told you the truth!" she was almost screaming now. "And you don't believe me! What do you want me to do?"

Haldir knew that if Raali was an ellon, she would have been hit for saying those things a while ago. But it always made him cringe whenever he saw human men hit their women and he was above that. He just reminded himself to keep his temper in check around her.

He merely tightened the grip on her wrists once more, making her gasp out in pain and arch her back slightly. It hurt _that _much. She was sure now that he had at least broken them, if not completely and utterly crushed the bone. Watching her intently, he did notice how pretty she was and was not blind to the sensuality of the sound of her gasp and the arch of her back against him. In reality however, he did not focus on those aspects of her for long. He was too angry.

"What do I want you to do?" he growled viciously. "I want you to stop trying to argue with me. It gets you no where, little elleth."

He watched with amusement as anger flickered in her eyes.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you and Soras planned this," Raali spat. "Where is he, huh? Are you waiting for him so he can hold me down?"

Haldir's eyes narrowed. "If you're implying what I think you're implying then I believe it is safe to say that I would not need a second person in such an act and if I had wished it, it would have been done the second your body hit the bed."

Raali swallowed and removed her gaze from his.

"Will you let me go?" she finally said after several minutes of awkward silence.

"Not until you tell me the truth," the March Warden said, sounding like he had all the time in the world.

"I already told you the bloody truth!" Raali cried, turning her head to glare at him sharply. "Ask Soras yourself!"

"Alright," Haldir finally sighed. "I believe you."

"Well, it's about bloody time," she sneered. "Now get off me!"

"That still does not excuse you breaking into my talan and rummaging through my things," the March Warden said coldly. "If I find one thing missing, I will come looking for you and you will be very sorry."

"Well I didn't take any of your bloody things!" Raali glared. "And-and as for breaking in...well I-I apologize but I wanted my necklace back and-" He cut off her off as he clamped a hand over her mouth. He was quite sick of her voice by this time.

"Right now _I_ will go to sleep as soon as you leave," he said, "and then tomorrow morning I will have a talk with _Soras_ and get your necklace back for you and _you_ will be running errands for me for next few months, understood?"

She nodded and he promptly lifted off of her and watched as she rubbed her wrists and grimaced and then walked to the door.

"Oh and Raali?" he said in an apathetic voice. She stopped but did not turn around.

"What?" she asked, her voice quiet and raspy from crying and yelling.

"When you are on a mission, don't use rose scented soap," he said. "I knew where you were the second I entered the room." She swallowed down a lump in her throat and turning slightly, and giving him a curious look, walked out the door.


	9. Raali 9

Raali ran down the steps of the March Warden's talan feeling tired and humiliated. Why did it always have to be HER? Why? Why? Why!

There was about two hours left for her to sleep before she had to report for training and face his demeaning glares once more. For a moment, she felt that she just couldn't take the embarrasement but then decided that pride should never overcome her. Not when she had so much to lose and especially not because it would probably be something that HE expected her to do.

When her foot hit the last step, she did not stop and continued to run. Even as her friends moved out from the trees to talk to her, she ran right past them, knowing that her talan was somewhere in this direction. When she spotted it, she picked up speed and ran right up the steps and into the dark flat, collapsing in tears into the soft divan.

She clutched at her hair, ripping the messy bun apart and running to her bedroom with her sword in hand, watching herself in the mirror. She breathed hard, eyes red and cheeks tear stained.

He was laughing at her the entire time, she realized. He thought it was just as funny and amusing as Soras did. It was all a huge joke to them. She was just a huge joke to them. To him.

"Well no more," her tear shaken voice strained to be strong. She grabbed waist long hair and pulled. The sword glinted in the moonlight as it was sliced through her hair, cutting the length of it in half. She would now wear it like the ellonim did and she could wear it down from now on. It was the same length as Haldir's, as Soras', as Merel's, as Eland's, as all the other soldiers'.

With quick skilled fingers, fingers that have grown accustomed to needle work and weaving, fingers that worked incessantly to complete seemingly endless chores, she braided several thin braids in her hair the way a warrior would, the way the other soldiers wear their hair.

No. No sleep would come to her tonight. She was determined to beat Soras. She was determined to beat them all!

* * *

"Where is she?" Merel paced back and forth. "Is she coming? Oh dear sweet Eru, I knew I should have come to her talan! I knew it! Why did you stop me! Why?" 

"Raali needed to be alone, Merel," Eland explained quietly. "Not everyone feels like being social when they're upset."

"But that's the best remedy for up...set...ness...or whatever you call that icky feeling!" exclaimed Merel, "And another thing I..." Merel had stopped as soon as he saw Raali walking down the hill with her bow, sword, and shield equipped.

She approached them quite shyly and looked down before gaining enough courage to look them in the eye. Both Eland and Merel stared at her.

"Your hair...," was all Merel could muster. "But...but...you're not-you're..."

"Well I like it!" Eland suddenly burst out. Raali and Merel both stopped their fidgeting and stared at him in shock.

"Well I do!" he continued. "It's the perfect statement! It was the perfect thing to do! You showed them Raali! You showed them you don't care! Don't you see!" Raali paused at this revelation and then smiled warmly.

"Yea," her smile widened, "I suppose I did." She suddenly felt a huge boost of self-esteem at Eland's encouragement. She had never heard him talk like that, but now that he showed his support, she was much more confident.

"Line up!" came the call a moment later and everyone moved fluidly into a line.

All was silent and then she heard his footsteps, walking down the line, studying every individual, expecting only perfection. She heard him say something to Merel and then a few soldiers laughed. She glanced over to see Merel staring at him, his expression slightly that of a frightened deer. She could tell he was forcing himself to make eye contact with the March Warden.

"Is that clear?" She watched Haldir's glare penetrate poor Merel's eyes. The March Warden had taken a liking to picking on him now and then, even when there was no reason necessary. She knew it was because of her. She only thanked the Valar that he left Eland alone, but then Eland was liked by more people that just Merel and Raali. Neither Merel nor Raali had that advantage.

Suddenly, Haldir's gaze turned to her and she quickly moved her head so that she continued to stare straight ahead, but he moved in front of her so fast that she was staring into those steel gray eyes in an instant.

"Is there a problem?" he asked. She felt the warmth radiating off of his skin, he was standing so close. Although his eyes showed no sign of it. He could have been an icicle for all she knew.

"No, Marchwarden," she replied softly, looking up at him, straining to maintain eye contact. His eyes slowly traced her figure and she struggled not to blush.

"Then why were you looking where you shouldn't be?" a quiet laughter erupted from the soldiers.

"I-I don't understand what you mean, Marchwarden," Raali replied, a single strand of hair suddenly flying in front of her face. She reached up a hand to get it but he grabbed her wrist with one hand and lifted the strand with his other. He let go of her wrist and it settled at her side once more. The strand was in between his fingers and he seemed amused at its dark color. Raali shivered inwardly as his ministrations with her hair tugged gently and seductively at her scalp. He then picked up a single thin braid and smirked and then let it slip out of his fingers.

"Are you trying to be an ellon?" he asked. There was that laughter again. Raali wished that the Dark Lord himself would come down to Lorien and take all those who laughed at her and Merel! She hated people that laughed just because it was appropriate.

'I bet he wouldn't feel so big about humiliating me if no one laughed,' and she day dreamed about Haldir standing in an awkward and embarrasing silence. That would show him!

She suddenly felt a hard tug on her braid and looked up into the March Warden's impatient eyes.

"I want you to undo these braids and wear your hair in a nice little dollop on top of your head as a proper elleth should," he said, glaring down at her. "And I forbid you to cut your hair again."

"You can't do that!" Raali burst out. Somewhere off to her right she heard Merel and Eland take a huge intake of breath. The rest of the other soldiers suddenly appeared to be extremely fidgety and uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, what was that I just heard?" he leaned down a bit closer to her. "Because for a second there I thought I heard the sound of _disobedience_."

"You can't tell me how to wear my hair!" Raali cried. "Soras wears his hair without braids! Why do you not chastise him?"

His gaze did not move from hers even as he spoke.

"Everyone will now temporarily practice their archery or swordsmanship," he said. While everyone was scurrying about, Haldir and Raali continued to stare at each other coldly.

Haldir stared at her for a while longer and then grabbing her by a few braids, he pulled her along behind him, ignoring her cries of pain. When they finally stopped a good distance away from everyone, he released her and her hands flew up her scalp to massage it but she refused eye contact with him.

"Is there something you don't understand?" his voice was stern. "Galadhrim have an image to uphold! Not only that, but you continue to try my patience with your insolence! I will not have cross-dressing in my brigade!"

"You made me cross dress when you gave me this uniform to wear!" Raali's voice grew louder. She was trying not to scream.

"THAT uniform is what elleths wear in battle!" Haldir said, his voice elavating as well. "There are not too many ellethim who are warriors and thus you probably have not seen what they look like, but I assure you they wear what you wear. If it is not to your liking, you can continue to wear pretty dresses but I daresay you will have an awfully hard time being taken seriously."

"Oh and as if I'm being taken seriously now!" Raali shot back. "You still mock me, you and your clique of high class edhels. Was I taken seriously when my hair reached my waist? No! I wasn't! And I thought perhaps that was the reason that I was still being mocked, because I was still seen as just a silly elleth. Wearing my hair like this proves to the other soldiers that I am no different than them. I am a soldier as well."

He laughed cruelly for a moment, watching her jeeringly as she made her plea.

"I think it would be incredibly difficult to prove that you are not an elleth," Haldir smirked, running his eyes up and down her petite form. "Why not just shove potatoes down your pants as well?"

"You mock me now still?" Raali cried angrily. "After all I have said to you? Have I not made my case clear?"

"You have made it clear alright," the Marchwarden said, "Clear that you've have disobeyed me for petty and superficial reasons. Do not think that I will be so lenient with you just because-"

"And Soras!" Raali burst out, "What of Soras? Why not punish him! Why?"

"Interrupt me again and you will have much fewer braids to worry about," he said calmly.

"Interrupt you I shall!" she cried, "You keep avoiding my question!"

"You want an answer?" he suddenly advanced upon her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her slightly. "I'll give you an answer. It is because you will never be the warrior that he is. You will never have the courage or skills that he possesses. You will always be trash, through and through. A peasant who, out of shere luck and pity from the Lady, somehow managed to get into my brigade while others had to train for decades still could not reach this level! That is why he can and you cannot!" He released her and turned away.

"And as for your uniform, would you have preferred to wear that rag that I found you in?" Haldir spat, turning around to glare down at her. "Or would you rather have gone naked? But then, you would surely have a difficult time hiding that you are an elleth." Raali tried to find words to rebuttle with but the Marchwarden's words hit deep.

'Ohhh greaaatt, Raali,' a voice in her head sighed, 'You're going to start crying now.'

'No I'm not,' another voice said, determined. 'His words cannot hurt me any longer! I am stronger than that! I can overcome anything!'

'There's a tear running down your cheek.'

'Damn...'

Raali cursed that tear that slid down her cheek. 'Damn you tear!' she swore. 'Damn you to Mordor!' She shook an imaginary fist at it.

He was cruel, all right. He knew exactly how to hurt her. She hated that he knew what subject hurt her most. She _loathed_ him for it!

"You-You can't hold that against me," her voice wavered slightly as she raised a slightly shaking finger at him. Her eyes became suddenly wet and shiny and he watched the condemned tear make its journey to her jawline. "If-If I had my way, I wouldn't even be in this city." More tears escaped. "You-you think I w-wanted this?"

She looked at him incredulously through tear-blurred blue eyes. "Is that what you think, Marchwarden?" He said nothing but merely looked at her, expression-less. "You think I wanted my mother dead? To be in this strange and cold city? To be-to be looked down upon and leered at? To be treated like I am treated by you and your little friends? It's all a game to you, but to me it's life or death. I have almost nothing March warden. Why are you so eager to take what little I have away?"

"Rather low attempt to make me pity you," he said suddenly, his voice colder than ever. He did not know why he said it for it was quite low, but he felt a sudden urge to see her fail, to see her give up. Yet even through her tears she resisted him and it unfortunately drove his attraction to her even further.

"Pity me?" Raali gritted her teeth. "I neither want nor do I need your pity! What I do want is for this cruelty to end!"

"Such cruelty," he said softly, smiling slightly and his hand reached down to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Are all peasants this dramatic?"

She pushed herself away from him and glared viciously. She was very grateful that she was no longer crying. And she was curious as to why he kept getting so close to her.

"Stop this March Warden!" she said and then her voice grew small, "Stop this before something horrible happens to me!" It was his turn to look shocked and surprised.

"I would never allow-" he paused at his words. "No serious harm will come to you. Not if I can help it." What that meant even he did not know. But then as of late, she had him saying things that were very unlike him and he resented her slightly for it.

"How reassuring," she said sarcastically. "But then because of you I almost drowned. Because of you I almost lost my dignity!"

"What dignity?" Haldir frowned. "You never had any dignity." He almost flinched at the hurt in her eyes and then watched as she turned away from him.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She had never met such a disagreeable person in her entire life.

Haldir hated being in situations like this where there was an awkward silence and both parties knew he was in the wrong. So he did the very thing he was planning to do in the first place.

"Close your eyes Raali," Haldir said as he suddenly stood behind her. Well this was random. She turned, giving him a suspicious look but then closed her eyes. She felt him move behind her and a familiar weight settled on her collarbone. She felt him lift her hair up and drop it. Haldir watched it spill across her back like a dark wave. "Now, open them."

She opened her eyes and looked down to see her mother's necklace. Her fingers reached up to touch it and sure enough were met with the familiar touch of the pendant.

"Thank you," she sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her wrist. Was this his way of saying he was sorry? Raali assumed it was since it was quite a random act.

"I suppose I gave you back your dignity," he said, a playful tone in his voice.

"I never had any to begin with," she said, staring him down.

For once in his life, March Warden Haldir of Lorien was completely and utterly speechless. There was absolutely nothing he could say to better the situation (except for a proper apology but Haldir doesn't DO apologies, certainly not proper ones). So he did the only thing he knew to do in a situation like this. He changed the subject.

"Now that you have your necklace back, you will still have to run errands and do chores for me for the next 4 months," he said.

"I can handle that," Raali shrugged, looking at the ground and tracing shapes in the dirt with her boot. "Am I dismissed?"

"No, there is still the matter of that little outburst over there," Haldir said, sounding quite annoyed. "You're going to need to learn to keep your mouth shut."

"Oh, I can't do that March Warden," she smiled.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "And why not?" She raised her chin defiantly and looked him straight in the eye.

"Because no one talks to me like that," Raali stated. "I won't put up with your injustice. Say what you want, beat me, punish me, but I won't bow to you. I may be simple-minded but I don't take shit from anyone. Especially not from the likes of you."

"From the likes of me?" he laughed. "Well peasant, if you feel that way, then you will just continue to be punished and each punishment will be worse than the last."

"Could a punishment have been any worse than the last one?" she looked away suddenly. "You gave my soul away on a whim."

"And you served it on a silver platter," he responded, sounding angry. "My patience has run out. If you thought the last punishment was bad, this will be worse. And so will the next."

"I'm ready for it!" Raali said.

"Alright, come with me," he said and he led her into the woods. Finally they stopped at an enormous tree with a small storage shed nearby. He opened it and drew out a rope. He then grabbed both of her wrists and made an elaborate tying mechanism and made sure they were tight. He gave it one last tug to see that it was tight and his eyes met with hers.

"Oh and Raali," he said, pulling the rope until he held the end. "I would never beat an elleth. Don't give me a reason to."

He then threw the rope high up in the air. It flew up quite high and she wondered how he managed to throw like that. Then, as if by magic, the rope seemed to extend to that it hung on the other side of a branch. He tied one end tightly to a branch and the other end he gave a huge tug. Raali was instantly pulled into the air, her legs dangling as she escalated higher. Soon she was so high, that Haldir looked very very small.

She tried not to look panicked, but he knew his eyesight was better than hers and he could probably see the expression on her face. Raali hated heights. She almost never went on her balcony and made sure not to look directly down when going down or up the stairs. She hung there by her wrists and looked down. Haldir was watching her.

He gave her what looked like a wave and then walked away.

SHIT.

Where was he going? He wouldn't just leave her like that, would he? What if her arms dislocated? What if the rope broke and she fell? All these thoughts entered her mind and she started to panic.

She closed her eyes tight and felt the oncoming of a panic attack..

SHIT!

She was truly frightened but she wouldn't let herself cry out. That was probably what he wanted, to hear her scream and cry for help like a typical elleth. Well she would show him!

About an hour later, she had calmed down considerably (although still on the edge of a nervous breakdown). Her arms had gone numb and she tried to bend them and flex her fingers but it was no use. Her upper body muscles just weren't strong enough yet. That, and she was too scared the rope would break and send her falling to her death. That little prospect was quite worrisome as well.

She looked down and spotted Haldir. He was joined by several others. No, in fact, he was joined by many others. It was the entire brigade! He brought the entire brigade with him, the bastard!

Raali saw him point up and then heard laughter.

Yea? Well fuck you all too.

She felt herself lower and soon she was a foot off the ground.

"This is what could happen when someone disobeys me," Haldir said in a matter-of-fact tone, raising his arm in the direction of Raali. "She has been up there for a good hour and a half. She can't feel her arms and it will hurt very much when she puts them back down. Especially because they have both been dislocated." There was an "ooh" sound from the soldiers. He walked over to the rope tied to the branch and cut it.

She fell on her back and then cried out as her arms fell into place.

OH. SWEET. ERU.

She had never known pain this horrible. It was so bad, she could scarcely breath, but instead lay on her back, trying to get in gulps of air.

"How do you feel Raali?" Haldir asked, standing beside her suddenly. He was actually smiling politely, the arse! Raali couldn't even respond with a comeback. She gasped in pain and closed her eyes.

He moved down to reach for her hands, but did not expect to be kicked in the chest. The soldiers "oohed" at her action as Haldir staggered back a bit. Raali decided she hated that "ooh" sound just as much as their laughter. People in large groups were so obnoxious sometimes.

"Stay...gasp...away...gasp... from me," she breathed. It was very hard for her to talk. Strangely enough, she had felt much better hanging a few moments before (and she only felt slightly better after kicking Haldir).

There was anger in his eyes when he approached again, but now he pinned her legs down with his boots and grabbed her arms, popping her arms into place and trying to get her to stand at the same time. Raali cried out in pain and collapsed against him. He held her up easily and laughed. He was joined by other soldiers.

Hating him immensely at the moment, but not able to stand without his support, she hated that she was being held to him like a helpless elfling. He shifted her around in his arms so that he was soon carrying her out of the forest. He did it with such ease and grace that for a moment she felt strange being in his arms like this. She saw no sign of Merel or Eland but did not bother to look. She felt so exhausted at this point.

Haldir told the others to continue training as he carried her into the city. Elves gasped and asked what had happened when he passed by and she thought he heard him say that there was a slight "accident." In reality, she tried not to pay attention. She was just too tired and in pain.

Soon they were ascending up the stairs of her talan. She decided that she would never ever go out on a balcony ever again and would never look down when she was at a high place. She felt him pause before he entered and then went through the door.

She felt the cool sweet smelling air hit her face as he carried her wordlessly inside her talan and into her room.

Without saying anything, he started to pull off her uniform, ignoring her weak protests.

"No!" she cried meekly, trying to push his hands away with her arms now regaining feeling, although they were weak and slow. "Stop it."

"Your skin needs to breath," he said, and he was right because when he pulled off her tunic, she felt much better.

"I-I don't care," she breathed out, "Don't...don't undress me. It's-it's inappropriate..."

"You are wearing undergarments," Haldir sighed, now pulling off her boots, "You don't think I've seen an elleth's undergarments before? It is nothing new, I assure you. They are often seen hanging out to dry. "

"It's inappropriate," she said again, trying to wriggle out of his grasp as he unbuttoned her pants. Her attempts to escape were futile, she knew. She was just too drained.

"It's not inappropriate," he said. "I've done this with many soldiers. Did you think I invented that punishment just for you?"

"You mean you've done this to others?" she forced herself to raise an eyebrow at him as he pulled her pants off.

"Yes," he said and then shamelessly glanced at her. "Never to an elleth though. But then again, I've never had an elleth under my charge. Under normal situations, I would have stripped you naked, but seeing as how that could stir up some controversy, I decided that leaving you in your undergarments would do."

She nodded weakly and turned her head from him. She felt him settle beside her on the bed and felt a slight gentle tug on her hair that sent shivers through her body. He was undoing her braids. She watched him watching her out of the corner of his eye and tried not to blush. She felt so exposed in front of him.

As if reading her mind, he said, "We are all soldiers, as you said. You better get used to the idea of not being so modest. We take baths together while at the border. Also, if you are wounded and they have to take off your uniform, your modesty must not get the best of you. So, perhaps it is a good learning experience."

"Perhaps," she bit off sarcastically and then turned to look at him, "But I would still feel very self-conscious walking around in my undergarments in front of the other soldiers. I mean, except you now of course, because you've already seen me, but even Merel and Eland. It would just be so awkward."

He looked at her for a moment, an expression lacking empathy, and then planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it was so long for an update! My computer died and I went in to get it fixed and they wouldn't give it to me for months! Craziness! Hope you all liked this chapter!**

**Note: yea this story is a bit weird and s&m-esque but if you don't like it, don't read it and don't complain. No one is forcing you (hehe get it? force? heh...ok nevermind).**


	10. Raali 10

To his surprise, Raali responded by kissing him back. The kiss was gentle. Raali had never had a kiss like that. The village boys kissed roughly among other things, but then this was no village boy.

Yet her roots shone through in her kiss and her kiss surprised him further. She was...rough...and bruising...and he liked it. He liked it a lot. Elleths in the city did not kiss like this. They demanded gentleness but this elf seemed to match his hunger.

Their kiss turned ravenous.

By the time Raali pulled away, they were both left breathless. He looked down at her as she closed her eyes in exhaustion. She was so very vulnerable at that moment, a complete contrast to all the other moments he had experienced with her and he enjoyed this side of her. It made him want to protect her and hold her in his arms.

"Why March warden?" Raali finally asked, deep blue eyes staring into his. "I thought you hated me."

"Likewise," he smirked, but he was still leaning into her and they were still very close together.

"You didn't answer my question," Raali said in a hoarse whisper. "Why did you kiss me March Warden? You have made my life a living hell and now you're being affectionate and kind, something that you wouldn't dare be in front of your friends. Is it because I'm in my undergarments and you're hoping to take advantage of the situation?" She watched with amusement to see if his expression would change. It did not.

"I don't have to give you a reason for anything I do," Haldir drew back and pulled the cool covers over her. He saw a smile on her tired features as she slipped into deep sleep. He stood staring at her, admiring her. She had an exotic yet plain beauty about her, but her spirit was wild and untamed. She was nothing like he had ever experienced and he wondered if all the village girls were like her.

'Not all village girls can win the love of the Lady,' he gently reminded himself. He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead and slipped out of her talan, careful not be seen. If anyone knew he had personally taken care of her instead of leaving her at the infirmary, then he would never live it down. Of course, he had told her the truth when he said he took care of the people he punished himself, but he truly did not have to do it. He could have had someone at the infirmary take her home as well. And it could have been an elleth.

He still disliked her of course, but he felt something towards her that he had felt with few elleths and it wasn't just base lust. He truly was drawn in by more than her beauty. No one, not even an ellon, had dared to stand up to him and yet this peasant girl from some random village in Imladris does just that. Even Haldir had to give her credit for such a feat.

Haldir smiled to himself. But all in all, he wouldn't let anyone else touch her. He wanted to heal the wounds he caused and he did. And much more.

* * *

Raali woke up in the darkness to find herself alone and hungry. Stomach rumbling, she bathed and dressed and walked to get some food from the dining hall. As she entered, she did not see Haldir nor Soras and breathed a sigh of relief, but then quickly forgot herself as Merel, Eland, and Tani pounced upon her, telling her how worried they had been, trying to get her to explain what happened to her hair and what happened to her in general.

"I'll tell you everything," she laughed, "Just let me eat. I'm starving!" Of course she knew she wasn't going to tell them everything. That would be just too awkward and embarrassing. They were like the anti-Haldir squad now and she couldn't ruin that by telling them how he kissed her and how she had enjoyed it.

She did tell them however how he had "helped" her with her clothing. Tani seemed quick shocked while surprisingly, Eland and Merel defended it.

"Oh calm down, Tani," Merel said, taking a sip from his goblet. "Raali is a soldier. Haldir takes care of everyone after punishment. It's probably the most civil thing about him, I'd say. But because he took care of her means that he recognizes her as a soldier and not just some prissy elleth."

"Besides, Raali has to overcome her modesty sometime," Eland quipped in, "We all bathe together when we're patrolling or on missions."

"Yes Haldir mentioned that," Raali looked down at her food, poking it with her fork. "But it's just so awkward. Especially in front of you two. I mean, I just don't know any elleths that have done it before, you know?"

"Raali darling," Tani snorted. "Do you honestly think that you are the only female soldier in all of Lorien?"

Raali looked at her and shrugged. "I don't know many others nor have I seen them."

"You don't really go out of your talan so how would you know?" Tani sounded quite annoyed.

Merel rolled his eyes. "Ignore her," he sighed. "Her mother was a soldier and her sisters are serving in Bilaril's brigade so she's a bit of a feminist here."

"Well miss feminist, why aren't you serving?" Raali bit out but quickly regretted it as everything suddenly turned silent. Tani looked down at her plate.

"Because I was rejected," she said quietly and then continued eating her food.

"I-I'm sorry, Tani," Raali felt horrible. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Tani smiled warmly at her. "You didn't know and now you do."

"Well if you ever want to talk about it," Raali smiled back.

"Of course, of course," Tani's smile grew wider, "I'll bug you about it."

"You won't be bugging me," the dark hair elleth laughed and then turned back to her food which was in danger of being completely eaten by Merel.

"Could you guys do me a huge favor?" Raali suddenly asked. They all looked at her quizzically. "Would you introduce me to some female soldiers?"

"I definitely will," Tani beamed. "I could do it tonight, if you wish."

"Definitely!" Raali said excitedly. "And another question, why am I the only elleth in my brigade?"

Another bout of uncomfortable silence spilled all around them.

"What did I say now?" Raali said, annoyed.

"Well, it's not talked about openly," Eland coughed. "But Haldir chose not to have elleths because he believed a brigade with elleths causes distractions and so he asked the Lady for a specifically male brigade. And all these centuries went by with his brigade being the only all male one...that is until you came along."

"Oh," Raali said, surprised at all she was hearing, "Do you agree with him?"

"Well," Eland and Merel both looked at each. Merel spoke first, "We don't look at you that way, but a lot of the other soldiers definitely give you the eye. I think I've even seen Haldir give it to you once or twice." At this, Raali blushed slightly, but no one noticed. "However, you're really proving yourself lately and I think once you show them what you can do, then they'll start to respect you like we do."

Raali laughed and thanked him. She had never had REAL friends like these before. It felt wonderful.

* * *

At the end of dinner, Tani grabbed her hand and led her down the many many rows of tables. Raali never noticed that there were so many rows but soon Tani took her to a table seated with some incredibly tough looking elleths. At least, Raali thought they were elleths. Their hair was either in a bun or in a tight short braid. Their bodies were very muscular...in fact, almost unnaturally muscular and Raali noticed that not too many of them seemed to have breasts.

"Sima, Hamiel," Tani ran over to two very...err..sturdy looking elleths. "This is my friend Raali, the one I've been telling you about."

All attention was suddenly on her.

And then someone started to laugh.

"_That's_ her!" laughed one elleth whose muscled arms rippled as she moved. "That's the one who made it into Haldir's brigade! Is this a joke? This must be a joke. Tani, please tell me this is a joke!"

And suddenly, no one was smiling. Their eyes were all focused on Raali and their expressions were of disbelief.

"You're trying to tell me that this little dainty elleth here is a soldier?" another elleth piped up. "The first female soldier in Haldir's brigade?"

Tani, who stood uncomfortably next to Raali, replied, "Well yes. I mean, what did you expect?"

"I expected someone who is not her," one of the elleths said cruelly. "Who is she to be in Haldir's brigade? You, girl, how many times did you lay with Haldir in order to get him to accept you?"

Raali was about to respond in a likewise manner when a firm voice rose above the rest, "She did no such thing, Fana." The Lady stepped into view suddenly and all was quiet. "It is not fair nor is it very kind to make such unwarranted assumptions based off of your own jealous fantasies."

The elleth who had so snidely remarked at Raali seemed to become an inch tall under the Lady's gaze. Her gaze turned to Raali and she apologized. "I apologize, Raali. That was uncalled for."

"Now, I must speak to Raali alone," the Lady said. "Please, Raali, if you'll come with me." Raali did not need to be told twice to leave this rather awkward situation. She followed the Lady in a quickened pace and ignored all the eyes that were upon her.

When they were finally out of the earshot of nosy elves, Raali thanked the Lady Galadriel. "I am forever grateful to you, my Lady, for saving me from that rather uncomfortable situation."

To her surprise, the Lady laughed. "One cannot just stand by when another is in an uncomfortable situation. It almost made me uncomfortable as well." Raali laughed as well. It felt good to talk to the Lady and it seemed that the Lady was being very informal with her, which set Raali's heart as ease.

"They are jealous of you Raali," the Lady said, her tone suddenly serious. "Some would do almost anything to be in your place."

"To be in my place?" Raali suddenly looked at the Lady. "But my Lady, why would anyone want to be in my place? I have no mother, no brother. I-"

"Raali you need not explain such things to me," the Lady smiled warmly. "Many only see things as how they appear on the surface. Yet the truly wise ones will know the truth. Your friends are truly wise." The Lady's smile grew. "And so is the March Warden."

Raali blushed and looked away, but the Lady merely laughed. "You need not fear chastisement from me, Raali."

"I never truly feared chastisement, my Lady," Raali confessed. "It was the utter disappointment in my mother's eyes that I always feared." The Lady put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Your mother is proud of you, Raali," the Lady said, "She was always proud of you." Raali smiled yet inside she felt like her heart was breaking in two.

"I feel I will surely fade one day just thinking about her," Raali said in a small voice.

"My child," the Lady whispered soothingly. "Do not think such things. You have a great future ahead of you, yet with many obstacles that you must overcome. There is still many challenges for you to face and they will be like nothing you have ever experienced before. But do not blame yourself for anything my dear, some things are not under your control." With a final smile, the Lady bid her goodnight and departed, leaving Raali to think in the dark.

'I didn't understand a word she said to me,' she suddenly realized. 'I don't even know what she was talking about. Obstacles? What obstacles? More obstacles? As if I can barely handle the ones I'm faced with now. I guess this means that things are going to get worse. Great...'

She trudged off back to her talan and curled up in bed. She could still barely smell Haldir in her room from earlier and silently wished that he would come into her room at this very moment. In fact, she hoped so much that she tried to make herself look as beautiful as she could every night for a month.

After that, she lost hope. Training had become somewhat awkward. He would no longer look at her nor even acknowledge her existence which made her feel slightly hurt and insignificant.

'I don't have to give you a reason for anything I do,' where his last words to her and he was right. He didn't have to tell her anything and it was consensual. She let him kiss her and she liked it. They both liked it.

Her punishment still stood and for months she did his laundry, polished his weapons, and other such tedious things which did not bother her because she often had to do those things in the village. The thing that angered her the most was he wouldn't actually tell her what to do himself. Instead he would send random elleths to tell her the day's duty. This infuriated Raali to the core.

For the next few weeks, she watched him flirt and talk with other elleths at his dinner table. Merel would often nudge her and ask her what she was looking so hatefully at. She would simply reply that she was thinking about how much she loathed the March Warden, which was true...kind of. All in all, she was dead jealous and she wanted so badly to notch an arrow and let it fly through the air-filled head of one of the many elleths clinging to him.

She had become quite skilled with the bow, although that was the only thing she had become skilled at. Even after hours and hours of intense training, the sword was just not her best weapon and she could not get her footing right nor could she block fast enough. Swordplay with Raali often resulted in some kind of blood spilled (usually her own except that time she accidentally dropped a particularly sharp sword on Merel's foot). Thus, the bow was her best weapon not only by default, but also by the fact that she had become better than both Soras and Eland, who were both considered to be incredible by the rest of the soldiers.

This had earned her some recognition from the other soldiers as well as some snide remarks from Soras.

After a year of training, Haldir had decided to put her on a special mission.

Consequently, it was the second time he had spoken to her since the kiss (the first time being when she accidentally stabbed herself in the arm during a sword fight and he yelled at her for being incompetent).

"Raali!" he called her name just as she released her arrow, making her miss the target completely. She turned around, glaring, but her glare was quickly erased as she saw who it was that called her. Then her glare came back as she truly realized who had called her. "I need you to run an errand for me."

"I've been running errands for you for the past few months, March Warden," Raali replied icily. "I thought my punishment ended three days ago."

"It did," He replied just as coldly. "But this isn't a punishment. It is a duty and I expect you to do it without any complaints."

"I can't promise that there won't be complaints," she said, smirking, "Although, I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask," Haldir withdrew a roll of parchment and handed it to her. "I want you to go to the dungeons and give this message to the guard Pikan. Then, I want you to retrieve the prisoner who is serving a life sentence for trespassing. I forget his name but he is the only one of the sort. He is to be sent to execution in four days. Pikan will tell you what to do."

"You have dungeons in Lorien?" Raali looked horrified.

"Of course we do," the March Warden replied, making her feel like an idiot. "It's where you would have went off to if..." He stopped and then laughed softly, shaking his head. "Never mind, just go to it."

She wanted to ask, "If what, March Warden?" but resisted. Her eyes locked with his. And then she grabbed the parchment out of his hand and walked away. Unbeknownst to her, his eyes followed her until he could no longer see her through the trees.

She had forgotten to ask him where the dungeons were but she knew they were somewhere near the city gates. After about 20 minutes of running, she arrived at the city gates, asking one of the guards where the dungeons were.

She was wrong. They weren't anywhere near the gates, but she was at least going in the general direction. She went straight as the guard instructed, running at full speed through the trees and past slow walking elves who stared at her as she ran by.

After another 20 minutes of running, she arrived breathless at the dungeons. As she descended down the uneven stairs, she was met with excruciatingly annoying looks that stripped her of all her clothing. She walked up to one of the guards and asked him where the guard Pikan was. He had replied that he did not know and proceeded to try to persuade her that whatever she wanted Pikan for, he could "do it way better."

Raali walked away quickly and continued down the cold, dim hallways of the dungeons. She shivered. How could anyone be here, especially on duty? It was the worst position possible.

"Looking for me?" a deep voice rang through the empty hall. Raali turned around and was face to face with a rather sketchy looking elf. By the insignia on his uniform, she could tell this was a guard and by his comment, she could only assume that this was the guard Pikan.

"I am assuming you are Pikan?" she asked in a calm voice even though she was nervous for some reason. Why would Haldir send her down here for an errand? But she knew the answer to that. It is because no one else would want to do it. It was the worst place to be and he certainly couldn't make Soras go, the bastard! Raali fumed silently.

"Yes I am Pikan," he answered and then looked at her strangely, "Is something wrong? You look angry." Raali had forgotten that she was making facial expressions as she thought. She would do this often when she got lost in her thoughts. She had realized earlier that this was not very good for her career and she had been working on disguising her feelings. It worked sometimes. It certainly wasn't working now.

"Oh no," she said cheerfully, "I'm alright. Really." He gave her another strange look.

"I can see why Haldir chose you," he said with a twisted smile. This elf was certainly creepy, but then anyone who worked here would be. "Do you have the message?" Raali handed it to him and he read through it in an instant.

"Alright, are you ready?" he asked, walking swiftly down the hall suddenly.

"Ready!" Raali cried, "Ready for what? The March Warden didn't tell me anything that I was supposed to do."

"Well, you see, this one prisoner has been especially violent," Pikan explained as he walked briskly down the hall. Raali had to practically run to keep up with him. "We had found him wandering in the wood very close to Lorien. He somehow snuck by the patrol and managed to get to the city gates before he was captured. Through his struggle, he killed four guards of Lorien and injured 20 others. This ellon knew how to fight and he fought bloody damn well, unfortunately for those that had to deal with him. He was finally taken out and it was recently decided by the Prison council that he is to be executed."

"Now you're probably thinking, 'well how do we get this bloke out?' Pikan suddenly stopped and Raali had to run back to where he stood. "It's quite simple. He's already in chains. All we need to do is put two sets of more chains on him and unlock the other ones. His hands have binds on them so he can't do much harm, but still be careful. You ready?" Raali had turned paler than she had ever been in her life and she was practically shaking.

"I'm ready," she whispered and Pikan unlocked the door. The smell hit her hard and she gagged slightly.

The guard laughed. "You get used to it"

Breathing through her mouth, she walked in and watched as Pikan picked up some chains lying near the door and handed them to her. "Hold these for now, let me get some light in here."

She watched as he lit a candle. As soon as the room was filled with light, the chains dropped to the floor loudly and Raali began to tremble.

"Sidrath?"

* * *

**Note: If you don't understand, look at Chapter 2 again.**

**Sorry it took so long to get a start on this story again. My computer broke down and deleted all my files. Sucks, but I'm writing as fast I can.**


	11. Raali 11

So sorry everyone! Stuff was happening to me and I had no time to work on this. Things are easier now so here is the update. Sorry it took so long!

* * *

"Ah, so you know him!" Pikan smiled, picking up the chains she dropped. "That's nice. It would be even nicer if he wasn't sentenced to death, eh?" His chuckle filled the small cell.

Raali continued to stand and stare, quivering. There was little resemblance now between the brother she remembered and the condemned elf before her. His once deep blue eyes had faded to an almost misty white. There was no glow to his skin and his hair was no longer dark, but white and filthy. He was horribly thin and pale, almost translucent. Even by candle light, she could see the blood rushing through his veins.

"Raalith," the elf with white eyes said smoothly. His voice rasped due to the lack of use after so many years. The very sound made her vision blur with tears.

Letting out a soft sob, she ran out of the cell, ignoring the guard Pikan as he yelled after her. She heard his footsteps behind her, but she was too quick. She raced through the empty halls until she got to the exit and ran out, inhaling the fresh air deeply, yet not stopping to rest. Her legs burned as she continued to run.

His image was burned into her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, even for an instant, he would appear with his white eyes and translucent skin. His voice still haunted her. To hear that voice after so long and to hear that very voice coming from the very being who had killed in cold blood. How? How was it possible?

She had hoped she would find him one day, but not like this. Not like this!

As she ran, she suddenly tripped over a tree branch and fell on a soft patch of grass which shielded her fall. But where had that tree root and the patch of grass come from? Surely the path was clear when she was running here...

She looked up to see white billowing robes. It was the Lady. Wiping her eyes and dusting off her pants, she got up to face the Lady.

"You knew," Raali's voice shook with tears. She knew she was not speaking kindly to the Lady, but at this point she did not care. Her flesh and blood was going to die and it was the Lady's conviction! "You knew and you did not tell me."

"Yes Raali, I knew," the Lady said gravely, "and I alone chose not to tell you."

"But why?" Raali cried, "Why would you do this to me!"

"I did nothing to you, my dear," the Lady continued in the same tone, "You had to see it for yourself, so you would not judge this land and its people. So you would not shun us for your brother's execution."

"See what for myself!" she was practically screaming, "See how he was imprisoned for so long that he has almost faded away? See his very death before my eyes?"

"You did not speak to him, I assume," the Lady Galadriel said softly.

"No," Raali shook her head. "I could not."

"Then you will go," the Lady said, walking past her, "And I will come with you." Raali followed along, head down and crying. Her tears had stilled when they entered the shadows of the dungeons once more. The light and energy of the Lady seemed to fill the dankness and it did not seem so dreary. Even the guards seemed more cheerful and their eyes filled with warmth as they looked upon the Lady of Light, their Lady.

The Lady stopped in front of Sidrath's cell. Pikan was standing outside it, glaring at Raali.

"My Lady, she was sent here to help and she-" but the Lady interrupted him.

"Leave us, my good Pikan," the Lady said, "We would like to be alone with this prisoner." The guard did not look too pleased, but he bowed and walked past them, throwing Raali another cold glare.

The Lady Galadriel opened the door and stepped into the small cell. Her light illuminated the room, making Sidrath perfectly visible. It was an odd scene: a soldier, the Lady, and a half-faded prisoner in a small stench-filled room.

To Raali's surprise, Sidrath hissed at the Lady, turning his face to try and get away from the light.

"Sidrath, your sister is here," the Lady said, "Will you not speak to her?"

"My sister," Sidrath rasped, his face still turned away," Raali. Yes, I remember now. She stands here before me, yet your light blinds me, witch. Might you lower it so I can look upon my sister without being blinded? I have wanted to see her face for a long time."

Raali could not understand why the Lady was not angered by his words, but she obeyed, and the room grew significantly dimmer.

Her brother now turned his pale eyes towards her and smiled. His teeth looked horrifically sharp. Raali stepped forward, willing herself not to cry.

"Oh, Sidrath," she sighed. "What has happened to you?"

"Happened to me?" He laughed suddenly. "Oh you wouldn't believe it, sister!" His voice echoed throughout the small cell. He was practically yelling. "I left home with every intention to find my true purpose in life. Well, I have found it, but these fiends, these monsters! They have stopped me!"

"What are you saying?" Raali whispered, shaking her head.

"I speak the truth!" he pulled forward suddenly, making her stumble back a few spaces. "I would have done it too if not for these beasts that you now cater to. Look at you, wearing their uniform. You're disgusting!" Raali whimpered, but said nothing, continuing to shake her head.

"They'll never accept you," he was laughing hysterically again. "They'll never accept you and even when you die, you'll never be one of them! Ever! You're going to die in their midst and no one will care! No one! You'll die! You'll die die die die die d-!" His shrieks echoed as the Lady suddenly raised her hands up and all was quiet. His eyes had closed and he was breathing softly.

As soon as Haldir had heard the Lady's message, he ran immediately towards the dungeons. A million thoughts raced through his mind.

What would the Lady be doing in the dungeons? Did this have something to do with Raali? He knew it probably did because that elleth was always in some form of trouble. He would have ran slower if not for the urgency in the Lady's voice.

He was also worried for the Lady. What if she was hurt? She hadn't been in the dungeon in years and now suddenly she was there, asking for his aid, asking him to be there quickly. She had reassured him that Soras would take over training for the day and that he was to do what was asked of him. And he would do it.

As he arrived, he took a deep breath of fresh air and plunged into the dungeons. It seemed less gloomy than usual and the guards there were even joking and laughing. It was very strange.

He suddenly saw Pikan and walked towards him. "Where is the Lady?" Pikan pointed him down the hall and he continued on his quickened pace until he saw the Lady, bending over a small figure who appeared to be unconscious. She was whispering something and slowly shifting the figure's energy above their body.

He walked closer and then stopped.

The small figure on the floor was Raali.

Go figure.

The Lady did not stop her actions as she spoke, "I need you to take her back to her talan and take care of her, my dear March Warden. I fear Raali is not well."

"What has happened?" he asked, walking closer. He saw that she was barely breathing and her skin was very pale.

"The prisoner that you sent her to see was her brother," the Lady replied, smiling. "As you can imagine, she did not take it too lightly. She will be alright however, her wounds will heal with time."

Haldir said nothing but continued to stare at her small form on the floor.

"Yes, I knew," the Lady replied to his thoughts, "But I chose to let her find out for herself. If not, she would have never known and she would have hated all of us. And out of such things, I foresaw great misfortune in her path and in that of our people." There was a pause.

"Her brother had been a soldier in Lord Elrond's army," she replied to his thoughts once more, "He had learned much in the ways of warfare and had become one of the most skilled fighters in all of Rivendell. Even his father, who had shunned their family long ago, had taken special attention to him. Yet one day, he was taken captive by a band of Uruk-hai and they brought him back to Mordor. He was tortured until his mind was bent completely and his spirit was filled with darkness and shadow. He was then set free with a single goal: to murder me."

Haldir shivered at this notion and felt much hatred towards her brother.

The Lady's laughter was like a silver bell. "Fret not, dear March Warden. He did not achieve his goal. Nor will he ever."

"I can only thank the Valar for such," he said softly.

The Lady soon stopped her healing and stood up, taking a step back. "I take it upon you to take good care of her. She has gone through much."

Haldir nodded and swiftly scooped her up into his arms as if she was a small, sleeping child. He bowed to the Lady and walked away with long strides down the hall. He held her closer to warm her. She felt so cold in his arms.

Unconsciously racing towards his own talan, he noticed that he encountered no one on the way. The paths all seemed empty and he wondered if it was the Lady's doing since she had done this type of thing before. As soon as he reached his talan, he walked into his bedroom with Raali in his arms and placed her gently on the bed.

He had willed himself not to think about what had happened to her or about what he had to do for her. It was a duty, an obligation, and all for the Lady of course.

He sniffed and then straightened as he looked down at her. Her long hair was still in messy braids and her clothing was filthy. He made a disgusted look as he noticed this and cursed as he realized that he'd have to change the covers once again. He liked his bedroom immaculate and clean.

Swallowing, he shrugged off the feelings that were surfacing as he willed himself to take off her uniform. After all, he had done it before. What was so different now?

He laughed softly to himself at how silly he was being and proceeded to slowly remove her tunic but he pulled back when his fingers met with her bare skin. He was suddenly angry with himself. What was wrong with him! He felt so strange touching her when she wasn't awake and he knew he shouldn't have. She was under his command and she was a fellow soldier. There was no modesty between soldiers. He had told her that himself and now he was the one shivering at the touch of her skin.

Yet his sense of duty overlapped his sense of discomfort and he swiftly pulled the soiled tunic over her head and dropped it in his laundry pile and removed her boots and pants as well.

He shook himself as he realized what he had to do next. She was still filthy and reeked of sweat and fear.

Haldir first undid her braids and then picked her up once more and carried her to the bathroom. Once there, he let the water drain into the bathtub because as we all know: the elves of Lorien have very advanced plumbing technology.

He hoped the hot water and aromatic oils would awaken her but as he placed her in the water, her under garments still on, she still did not awaken, though her skin was considerably warm and the color had returned to her face. He washed her hair and then, closing his eyes, ran a washcloth swiftly around her body. After he drained the water, he simply stood there.

It was a rather awkward situation. There was a half-naked wet elleth in his bathtub and under normal circumstances he would have felt satisfied with himself, but this wasn't under normal circumstances and the elleth in question was unconscious

Removing his own tunic so he wouldn't get wet while he tended to her, he lifted her gently and almost had to put her down because the sensation of her warm, fragrant, wet skin against him was almost too much for him to handle. He laid her gently on the cot that was in the bathroom and swallowed hard as he brought the cloth over her body to dry her.

Closing his eyes, he willed himself to breath normally and hoped that the stiffness in his pants would...go away.

He dried her hair and then combed it out. Now, the only problem was her soaking wet undergarments that were sticking closely to her skin, revealing much. He tried not to stare as he tried to lift the top off of her.

This earned him a sharp slap.

Raali had awakened.


	12. Raali 12

Raali said nothing as she continued to glare at him in fury, now holding the drying cloth to her chest.

"I can exp-," Haldir attempted but this earned him another surprisingly painful slap across the face. He had forgotten how much stronger she had become because of her training.

"Listen Raali, I-," this time he caught her wrist before she could repeat her action. "Hit me again and you won't like what happens." She yanked her arm back and watched him, still staring at him in silent fury.

He looked at her curiously. Why wasn't she saying anything? Why wasn't she cursing him?

Instead, she pulled the cloth around her and attempted to stand up. Yet she found she could not do so. Her legs were weak and could not hold her and he caught her swiftly, picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom. She was dry except for her damp undergarments so he placed her gently on the bed.

"I'm going to give you one of my shirts to wear," he said, digging through his dresser and pulling out a large shirt. "Here." He handed it to her and she murmured a 'thank you' as she unconsciously pulled the undergarment over her head. Haldir felt his breath catch in his throat and quickly looked away.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" she asked in a mocking voice. "We are both soldiers, are we not?"

"You do not make me uncomfortable," he lied sincerely, turning to look at her. The shirt was enormously large and there was an opening between her breasts. He willed himself not to stare.

Raali looked at him with shockingly dark blue eyes, watching him as he put her discarded undergarments onto the pile of dirty laundry and then retrieving a brush, he moved behind her suddenly and started to brush out the tangles.

She said nothing as he did this and felt strange for him to be so near her as he brushed out the tangles. Memories of what occurred earlier returned in that instance and she felt a shortness of breath. By the Valar, what was she doing here? She needed to be in a safe environment, away from this elf who did not understand anything that has taken place, this elf who would never accept her. She wanted to be alone in her own thoughts. She wanted to be in her own talan.

Haldir noticed her breathing increase and stopped brushing her hair.

"Raali, what-?" but before he could ask, the air rushed out of his lungs as he was hit quite hard in the stomach. Reaching out to grab her, she dodged his arm but instead fell to the floor, her legs too weak to hold her. Practically crawling, she reached for the door handle but was grabbed around the waist and thrown on the bed. She bounced once and then was pinned there by a very angry looking March Warden.

"We simply must stop doing this March Warden," she said, as she struggled beneath him.

"What is wrong with you?" Haldir exclaimed. "Have you gone completely mad? Answer me Raali! What's wrong?"

She was quiet at first and merely stared at him in pause. And then, "I hate you." It was a whisper but it stunned him momentarily. Even for all he had done, he did not expect those words to slide off her lips so easily.

"I hate all of you," she continued. "I hate this place and I hate this inequality. But most of all, I hate you. You, who is the ring leader of it all. The Valar cursed me when I first set eyes on you. From the moment, my horse rode into this forest, you were and continue to be the bane of my existence."

He watched her face with a stunned expression, still pinning her down, but watching her in quiet shock as she continued.

"But I wish you no ill," she said, her voice calm and quiet as ever, "I hope all good comes to you no matter what. For I would never stoop down to your level. From now on, do not speak to me. Do not acknowledge my existence unless there is some order or deed you wish me to do. We shall forget each other and our problems shall be solved. Now please, you're quite heavy. Get off me and let me be on my way. I don't wish to stay in your home any longer."

But he did not listen, he still stared at her in utter awe.

"Did you hear what I said?" she asked, her voice louder and more agitated. "Get. Off. Me."

There was a long lapse of silence as she waited patiently, studying his face which gave nothing away.

"So you hate me," he finally said.

"Well, I hate you too."

His lips clamped down onto hers in a bruising kiss. She groaned in protest against his mouth, pushing at him with all her might until she gave him one hard shove and he let up.

"What-what is this?" she sputtered in anger and shock.

"My hate," he whispered between clenched teeth and brought his mouth to cascade around her neck, pulling her hair out of the way.

"What are you-?" she gasped as his teeth raked gently against the nape of her neck. By the Valar, what was he doing? "Haldir, stop, please, I-."But his mouth enclosed hers once more. She felt a low burning inside of her that she tried to fight but it was to no avail. Her legs had wrapped themselves around his waist and she could feel him against her thigh.

She was returning his kiss with the same passion, the same intensity, the same hate. His hands were holding her to him and one had slid up her shirt to rest on a naked hipbone. She knew nothing good would come out of this but in the heat of the moment nothing mattered besides his body and his mouth.

He tore himself away just as quickly as he had initiated the ordeal. What _was_ he doing? She was so fragile. The Lady had entrusted him to care for her after her incident and here he was practically mauling her. And how he enjoyed it! But looking down at her and seeing the confusion and desire in her eyes made him feel all the more wretched, all the more hated, all the more hate_ful_.

She said nothing as he climbed gracefully off of the bed and out of the room, leaving her alone in the darkness.

"You look like a guilty child, March Warden," he broke out of his thoughts as her voice penetrated the silence. But he did not turn to acknowledge it. Instead, he lifted the tray gently from the table and placed it on her lap, never looking at her once. "You're going to be awkward around me, little ellon?"

He threw her his coldest gaze, but it failed to convince her otherwise. He started to walk towards the door. "You're angry because you feel guilty about not being able to have me last night?" Her laughter filled the room. "Because I can assure you, in my vulnerable state you will have no such troubles."

His pause left her apprehensive. He simply stood there by the door with his back turned to her.

Coughing, she said, "Thank you for breakfast by the way," and moved the tray off of her lap and onto the bed next to her. Yet she did not eat. She could not.

Not with him standing so still with his back turned to her in the doorway. It scared her slightly because she always had a penchant for going too far with sensitive people. And Haldir was the most sensitive person she had ever met.

"If you're going to come back in here and beat me, could you please do it now?" she called to him. "You're making me nervous... Haldir?" He suddenly turned towards her so fast that she jumped yet regained her calm quickly.

"Haldir, come here," she said softly, but as quickly as he had turned, he had turned around and walked away. Cursing herself, she pushed herself up, though she was still very weak, and slid out of bed and onto the floor. Crawling to the doorway, she crawled through and got to the kitchen before she started to attempt to stand up. With a hand on the table and another on the chair, she pulled herself up and into the chair.

Where she was briskly picked up and carried back into the bedroom. Yet just as he was turning from the bed to leave, she grabbed his arm.

"Sit," she said. "Please." He said nothing as he sat on the bed, looking very elegant and deceivingly docile.

"You don't understand many things, March Warden,"she said, still holding onto his arm. He did nothing to shrug her off, but continued to stare at her with a somewhat cool gaze. "I do not doubt that you have had hardship in your life. None of us are free from it, but I am going through a very difficult time right now and no I don't want any pity or sympathy from you," she added quickly. "That's not my point."

"My point is that I was not in my right mind yesterday. I do not hate you. I was- I _am_ just very tired and very worn down. You must understand. This is all just very difficult for me and I apologize for what I said last night." Raali let out a deep breath and felt all the more relieved for having said what she said.

"You never cease to amaze me, Raalith," Haldir said. "After all I have done, and _you _are the one that is apologizing to _me._" Her hands moved down to clasp his and he held onto it and moved closer to her. "However, I can't get over the fact that you continue to be an ingrate. You forget where you stand in this society and this causes problems."

"Problems for you," Raali pulled her hand back, but he held onto it and held it more firmly.

"No, dear elleth," he said softly. "You are so naive, so young. You do not see the ways of Lorien. There is an order here. In order to live our lives in the way that is proper we need to keep the order."

Raali paused and then stated, "I'm going to hit you now."

"...what?"

And so she did, giving Haldir the third slap across the face he had ever received in his entire life.

"Must you do that?" he said through gritted teeth as he struggled to contain his anger.

"Yes," Raali fumed. "You are...you...despicable elf! Here you are talking about order when you were the one on top of me last night...initiating...ugh! I mean, you-you lack basic self-control and you preach all of these ideologies that you yourself go against. You know what I think? I think the only reason why you're doing this is because you like me but you're too scared to admit it."

"That's utter nonsense," He hissed in disgust. "I feel nothing for you. You're a disgusting creature. I don't even consider you part of my race. You disgust me, you wretched-." His rant was cut short by her lips on his own and as much as he wanted to tear away, he simply couldn't make himself. It felt too good, too right. And he hated it. He hated how he returned her kiss and held her closer to him. He hated her for making him want her.

And oh how he wanted her.


	13. Raali 13

She pulled him down with her into the soft inviting bed. His scent, a combination of the forest and elvish spices, surrounded her and the pressure of his body on hers made her tremble with desire. He handled her so gently that she was almost surprised. The village boys were never this gentle. She could not help but compare.

He pushed his hips into her and her legs wrapped around his waist, pressing him closer to her as they had been last night before he tore himself away. Yet tonight, he would not escape.

"Let us end this now, Haldir," she whispered into his ear, her hands swimming up and down his back. "Let us be free of this lust once and for all."

"Yes," he agreed, his voice husky and deep with desire as he slowly lifted the shirt she wore over her head. " Just for now, you are mine for the taking." The way he said it made a shiver run up her spine and she watched in anticipation as he slipped out of his own clothing with calculated grace and speed.

Kissing his way up her body, he could not help but realize that he had never enjoyed himself this much with any other elleth. True, there had been so many, but he never remembered a single one who he actually wanted to, strove to, please.

They spent most of the afternoon exploring each other, as if wanting to map out each and every part of the other's form just in case, no, _because_ it would never happen again. Both were sure of it.

And when he finally did enter her, it was a union that was worthy of song (or so she decided). Gentle and slow was his method, making sure she could feel every inch of him. She was aware of only him and had the Lady and all the elves of Lorien decided to come to Haldir's bedroom at that moment she surely would not have noticed (or so she thought though she truly hoped no one would interrupt).

Haldir was having an equally pleasant time and fought back the waves of pleasure that threatened to end their afternoon.

But all good things must come to an end.  
And what an end it was.

They lay panting, holding each other as if the other would slip away somehow. A tangle of flesh that was never meant to be broken. Neither Haldir nor Raali said anything. It would have spoiled whatever kind of moment this was, yet there was a silent understanding.

She broke away from him suddenly and turned away to face the blinding light of the setting sun. Feeling his hand on her shoulder trailing up and down her arm, she sighed and gripped the pillow underneath her head. She sensed him move closer behind her, his warm body pressed against her in a comforting way.

"You know it could never be, Raali," he said softly. She could feel the rumble of his voice against her bare skin. "No one would understand."

"No one needs to understand," she whispered in reply.

"I already explained-," he started, his voice taking on a more clipped tone.

"I know," she interrupted. "My brother told me this as well. You wouldn't believe how alike you two are. He too said that no one here would accept me."

"The elf that was once your brother has been taken by shadow, by darkness," she turned over to face him, the light of the sun set making her skin appear to glow gold. His fingers lightly traced over the softness. "I accept you Raali. We all accept you. But you are without rank. You have no standing in this society."

"So what you're saying is," she said, her voice a hushed, pained whisper, "that I'm nothing."

"No," he corrected her as he wiped away a fallen tear with his thumb, "I'm saying that because we are on different social planes, we cannot be seen together. Understand Raali that I have committed my life to the Lord and Lady, to the protection of Lorien. I could not go against that commitment even if I wanted to. My position demands the highest respect. I could not risk losing it."

"I understand and I accept this," she said quietly. "It would just have been much easier if I had not listened to what he said."

"Raali," he said in a gentle tone, which made her feel calm. He put his hand under her jaw and moved her face up to meet his. "He is no longer your brother. There is nothing in that wretched being but malice and darkness, the very thing you are training to kill."

"But he is still my-," she started, her voice crackling with tears.

"No," he shook his head. "No he is not. That is what you must realize. Then you can have peace within yourself."

"You don't understand, Haldir," she pushed herself away from him, turning to the other side. She said in a quiet voice, "He was my brother. I have not seen him for so long and I wanted to see him so much. So much. And finally, when I find him, when I do finally meet him after all these long years...he's...he's...a monster." She curled up, holding herself. "It is almost unbearable."

"Your pain is warranted," he sighed, easing his arms around her. "But you must be strong. You serve a new land and a new people. You will help to protect them and make sure that they will not know misery and death from sword. That is a very noble commitment Raali."

"I understand that he must die," she whispered. "I understand that he cannot go back to what he once was. I just wish I could have done something. If I only knew..."

"Shadow works in terrible ways," the March Warden explained. "It is no mystery that it can affect the hearts of even the most righteous and good and when it gets a hold of you, it never lets go. Many good people get trapped this way. Do not blame yourself for your brother's fall from the light, nor should you blame him. Accept it Raali and accept the pain of loss. Only then can you truly heal."

He turned her over and held her close against him, her tears spilling on his bare chest. He stroked her hair and whispered gentle things to her to calm her.

"I don't want to go to the execution!" she cried.

"No one will force you," he whispered to her. "Not if I can help it."

"And what about us?" she asked, lifting her eyes to him. "Is there peace between us?"

"As for us, Raali, we have acted upon our desires and have both received what we wanted. All that is settled."

"Is it?"

"It is."

"And do you still hate me?" Raali asked.

"No Raali, I never hated you. Not as you may think anyways. I was just angry. But I understand now. " He turned his head away from her, watching the shadows dance on the walls. How long have they lain here?

"But know," he continued slowly," that despite everything that has happened, we are not friends." Raali studied his face calmly and put a steady hand on his chest. The warmth of her touch spread throughout his body and he shifted away from her.

"Because you don't like me?" she inquired, in a harsh tone.

"No," he turned back to her. "Because I do like you. I enjoy your company. And if I were to get this close to you again, I don't think there would be a single thing stopping me from just..." He trailed off. She stared at him in mild shock.

What was this? Was the March Warden actually telling her he truly liked her? That he truly had feelings for her that he could not act on? That she truly had something to dangle in front of his eyes and know that he could not have it and that that "thing" was herself! It was almost too good to be true.

"I share your sentiment Haldir," Raali said. "...well sort of anyway. I let my heart rule me, not my head. Though I must admit that I wish you would just once allow yourself something that makes you happy. You deserve it."

Where did that come from, he wondered as he stared into her eyes. She spoke of his happiness. His happiness, a subject that almost none that dared to question or speak of.

"My happiness lies in the safety and protection of Lorien," Haldir said in a noble voice and Raali rolled her eyes.

"Oh spare me the speech, March Warden," she laughed. "You wouldn't have lain with me if that was where all your happiness lay." Haldir too could not help breaking out into a smile at that remark.

"This is true," he sighed. "I indulged myself on the sweetest sin in Lorien."

He could hear the sound of her heart beat and smell the scent of her skin and hair. He could still remember the way her body felt and when he closed his eyes he could almost return to that passionate time they shared.

His eyes opened as he inhaled sharply.

But this would never happen again. He had to make sure of it. For his own sake.

Climbing out of bed, he was on his way to the bathroom and then stopped.  
He would surely regret this.

"Raali, would you like a bath?"

* * *

**A/N: So I need some help. I realize that this wasn't that great of a love scene but I am truthfully just stumped when I do these simply because I never know how much is "too much," you know? I have already had about 3 stories removed due to the "graphic content" and I am really trying to hold back but how would I write a scene without getting my story deleted off of Any suggestions?**

**Meanwhile, is there anything else that you believe they have yet to discuss? **

**Note this is why I created a bath scene. Just in case this chapter left any of you unsatisfied, I could make the bath scene more graphic but if anyone can just tell me how to do this without getting into trouble with the censors, it would be very helpful and I could write the chapter faster. Thanks! You guys are awesome! 3**


	14. Raali 14

_He could hear the sound of her heart beat and smell the scent of her skin and hair. He could still remember the way her body felt and when he closed his eyes he could almost return to that passionate time they shared. _

_His eyes opened as he inhaled sharply._

_But this would never happen again. He had to make sure of it. For his own sake._

_Climbing out of bed, he was on his way to the bathroom and then stopped. _

_He would surely regret this._

"_Raali, would you like a bath?"_

"Yes please," Raali smiled and threw off the covers. Haldir suppressed a shiver and blocked the rising desire from his mind.

'Never again,' he told himself, '_Never _again"

Gently, he lifted her from the bed and carried her into the bathroom, trying not to pay attention to the feel of her bare skin against him. They both watched in silence as the water entered into the tub.

Raali felt suddenly uncomfortable sitting naked like this before him. She crossed her legs and her arms and pretended to be fascinated by a shield that hung on the wall.

Haldir followed her gaze to the shield.

"It was a gift from a cousin," he said, breaking the silence and making her jump slightly. "I had no place to hang it but in the bathroom."

"Have you ever used it?" she asked.

"No," the March Warden smirked, "It is not very strong. It would not endure in battle so it will remain a mere decoration for my bathroom." Raali smiled at that.

"I never realized you had such impeccable taste in design."

"Yet another one of my many talents," he laughed. Realizing that the tub was filled, he turned off the water and poured bath oil into the tub. Haldir picked up Raali, settling her carefully into the bathtub. She let out a soft sigh of relief as the scent of the oils enveloped and relaxed her.

"Thank you Haldir," Raali said and gently brushed her hand across his cheek. It was too much. He grabbed her wrist and turned it over so that her palm was turned up. Gently, he pressed his lips to the pulse point, feeling and hearing the life force rushing through her veins. Her sigh of pleasure awakened him and he gritted his teeth against another wave of desire that threatened to consume him. He hid it well, yet she could sense that something was not right.

"Only once, Haldir," she reminded him. "Was that not what we agreed on?"

"Yes," he let out a shuddering breath, "I must go." He put his hand on the edge of the tub to lift himself up, but she grabbed his arm with wet fingers.

"You do not have to go," she said slowly. She pulled him down (or rather he let her pull him down) and he kissed her hard on the mouth, his tongue invading her and seeking solace in her once more.

"What is a second time?" she urged him. "Who will we be hurting? It is only for a day. Never again after this time."

Haldir nodded as if in a trance. "Never again," he agreed. Climbing into the tub, he pulled her against him, his mouth dancing on her neck and his fingers massaging her breasts. He bit the nape of her neck gently, causing her to moan.

He was at full length and almost shuddered every time she moved against him as his fingers teased her center. Her hands swam over his well-defined chest and hips, yet she never dared to touch anymore. She only wanted to drive him mad with desire as he did with her, not to end the evening early.

And drive him mad she did, just as he did to her.

"Haldir please," she begged finally.

"Please what?" his voice domineering and arrogant, yet with a hint of playful sensuality.

"End this torture," her own mouth moved his neck, kissing and teasing where she pleased.

"Can you not stand it?" he laughed at her.

"No," she breathed against him. "Please." In truth, despite his calm demeanor he was having trouble keeping in control himself. Her ministrations had him almost go over the edge a few times and he decided that now was the time.

"Very well," he said. "If you insist." He lifted her gently so that she was hovering over him, his tip teasing her opening.

"You're trying to kill me," she cried out in pleasure, making him laugh softly as he suddenly impaled her on himself. Gasping at the sudden discomfort, she punched him hard on the arm.

"Never again," she glared at him. Raali did not particularly like being played with like this during intimacy, yet Haldir enjoyed it very much. It was fun to see her squirm.

He pulled her against him hard suddenly. "Never again," he agreed and gave her another hard kiss on the mouth.

She had adjusted considerably to his size and was now moving ever so slightly against him as he kissed her. They moved together, no longer initiating in the gentle sensuality of their first time. This was raw, hard, animalistic. They were pouring their intensity into this one single act of passion and going at a quickening pace until finally both unable to stand it, collapsed against each other in a crescendo that had left both shaking and unstable.

"Wow," Raali breathed, her head on his chest, listening to his heart beating rapidly.

"I know," he agreed, stroking her hair in a daze. Never had he experienced such intensity, such fire, during intimacy. It was not something the ladies of Lorien enjoyed. They liked gentle caresses, romantic whispers, and slow movements. What they had just done would have made any other elleth scream for mercy yet this one screamed in pleasure.

She kissed him then, not feeling any fear from his retreat because now she knew he wouldn't dare pull away (besides he was in the tub, he had nowhere to go). Her hands touching the smoothness of his face and the softness of his hair.

"I believe we are both in need of a bath and the water is still warm yet," Haldir said, easing her slightly aside as he reached for a wash cloth and soap. Raali immediately reached for the hair oil and massaged it into her hair, but two pairs of hands stopped her and moved her around so that her back faced Haldir and she was leaning against him. His hands moved through her hair, massaging the scalp and causing him to send ripples of pleasure down her body. She always liked it when her previous lovers played with her hair or teased her scalp with their fingers, yet it was rarely done since it was too "gentle" of an act.

Haldir noticed her reaction and chuckled to himself. "You are strange, Raali."

"Why?" she said, her voice heavy with desire.

"I have encountered your entire body today, and yet the part that seems to have the most intense reaction is your head," he willed himself not to laugh. "Does that not imply something about you?"

"It implies nothing, March Warden," she snapped. "And there is no utterly intense reaction from me. It just relaxes me, that is all."

"Is that all?" he laughed at her.

"Yes!" her irritation was starting to show through. "I...just really like how it feels. Hasn't anyone ever done this to you? Stroked your hair? Massaged your scalp? Doesn't it just send shivers down your spine?"

"I don't allow anyone to stroke my hair or massage my scalp, Raali," he smiled as he started to wash out the oil and tangles from her hair. When finished, she turned and gave him a mischievous look.

"Your turn!" Raali beamed at him. "Let's switch."

"No," he glared at her. "Were you not paying attention? I don't allow anyone to stroke my hair or massage my scalp. I will wash my own hair, thank you."

"Haldir, don't be a child," she glared back.

"I'm not-," he stopped. He was being a child. Grumbling, he shifted so that she could get behind him. "But if you pull my hair even once,-!"

"I won't!" she grinned.

She wished she could see his face while she washed his hair. Pouring a massive amount of hair oil into her palm, she rubbed her hands together and then proceeded to massage it into his hair ever so gently. Her fingers teased and massaged his scalp and he now realized why Raali had the reaction that she did. It felt absolutely amazing! Who would have thought that that part of the body could make one feel this way.

His breathing had become labored and a slight groan had risen from him as she finger combed the tangles from his hair.

"Valar Raali, what are you doing to me?" he breathed and she could not help but giggle as she rinsed out his hair in the water.

Raali laughed and then stopped as she saw the affect it had on him. He shifted around so that he was facing her and she could see the desire in his eyes. Running a hand through his hair, she smiled as he shivered from her touch.

"What is that mortal phrase?" Raali whispered. "Third time's the charm?"

* * *

"Well, you certainly have a way of distracting one from their problems," Raali said as they ate dinner together later that night. 

"I believe that the Lady meant for me to heal you physically and mentally," Haldir stated, sipping the wine from his goblet.

"And can I tell you, you've been doing a fantastic job," she could not help but smile.

"I'm glad you think so," neither could he. "Your strength has improved and our talks about your brother have certainly been...interesting."

Raali had told him all about her brother, the things they did together, who he was before he fell from the light. It had helped her to heal much of her present wounds and by retelling all their adventures to Haldir, she realized that the elf in the dungeon would never be the brother she knew and loved. It saddened her deeply yet she knew that if she were to start a new life, she could not dwell on such things.

"Yes well, I've had a colorful childhood," she laughed.

"You speak differently now from when you arrived," he observed casually.

"Well, I've taken on the Lorien accent and way of talking, I suppose," Raali said. "I'm sure it would help no one if every other one of my words was inappropriate." Haldir grinned at that.

"Not everyone would mind if every other one of your words are inappropriate," this earned him a sharp pinch which he merely laughed at.

Yet both were surprised by a sharp knock at the door. They glanced at one another and Raali pulled the blanket that was draped over her closer around her. Haldir opened the door with a frown.

In the doorway stood Eland, Merel, and Tani, looking particularly uncomfortable.

"March Warden," they all bowed their heads with respect. "We would like to see Raali. We hear she has been ill and that you are taking care of her."

"That is correct," Haldir nodded. "But it is up to Raali if she is feeling up to having company."

"I am!" Raali piped up from the kitchen and Haldir silently fumed at this. He had enjoyed having her to himself. She was much less obnoxious without the influence of her friends. Despite his displeasure, he moved aside to let them come in and all three ushered into the March Warden's talan, admiring the array of weapons that he had on display throughout it.

They moved to the kitchen where they held their reunion with Raali, hugging, crying, kissing, laughing. Haldir watched Raali's face light up at the sight of her friends and noticed that no matter what, he would never make her that happy. But he wanted to.

So very much.

They stayed for a little more than an hour discussing what had happened and what she had missed in training and the current gossip that was flying around.

"Eland is courting a young sentinel!"Tani said excitedly. "She's completely obsessed with him."

"No she is not!" Eland gave her his infamous "I am displeased and it's your fault" look. "She is noble, kind, beautiful, intelligent, and everything that I would ever want in an elleth!"

"How young?" Raali's eyebrow arched in question.

"Too young," muttered Merel, as he made the image of rocking a baby with his arms. "Ow what was that for!" Eland had punched him hard on the arm.

"She is not quite that young, as our foul minded friends here would have you believe," Eland stuck his nose in the air, "In fact, she is especially mature for her age."

"She is naught but 400!" Tani giggled. "She might as well still be going to primary school."

"Ah, but she is a sentinel," Raali smiled at Eland. "She must be mature for her years to be a sentinel. She must be strong as well. I would very much like to meet your lady, Eland."

"Of course!" he beamed. "She has actually been wanting to meet you for quite sometime. When I told her you were a friend of mine, she simply insisted that I introduce you two."

"I cannot believe you would side with him on this!" Tani exclaimed. "She is so young!"

"There are some issues that do not matter when it comes to the heart," her eyes met with Haldir's for an instant as she said this, but then quickly turned back to Tani. "She is not too young that she cannot make her own decisions. Not only that, but she is a sentinel. They are strong of will and heart."

"That she is," Eland smiled, looking relieved at her reaction.

"Did you think I would not approve?" Raali laughed.

"Well with the way these two reacted," he said, "I was not sure what to think."

"Never doubt yourself, my friend," Raali said, her hand closing over his. "Only you know what truly lies in your heart."

They talked on and on about this young sentinel and finally, when Haldir could no longer stand them, he decided that it was time for Raali to sleep and that they all must leave immediately. Thus, all three said their goodnights and let the door close behind them. Sighing with relief, he turned uninterested eyes to Raali.

"Your friends are by far the dullest beings on the face of the planet," Haldir smirked as he walked over to her. "I would have thought that they would be talking about their crazy sexual rendevous or the like but no, it was mere dull, pointless rabble."

"And I'm sure you and your friends talk about much more interesting things," Raali said, sarcastically. "Like crazy sexual rendevous."

"But of course," Haldir smiled mischievously. "We have good social lives."

"As do my friends," she defended.

"Yes, but our adventures do not always include wine," his arrogance shone through. "We do not need to get an elleth drunk to get her into bed."

"No, you would need her to be crippled and emotionally destroyed before you do that."

She had gone too far.

"You think I could not have had you prior to this?" he towered over her, his stare cold and unwavering.

"In all honesty, no," she quipped. "You would have had to get me drunk first."

"Is that right?" his voice was low and dangerous.

She watched him with caution. She knew it took a comment like that to make him angry and he often expressed his anger in very different ways. He always managed to surprise her. And she hated surprises.

"Yes, that's right, March Warden," she replied with a smirk.

"You are lying,"he said. "I have watched you for a long time now. There was lust in your eyes even before this day."

"Perhaps you were hallucinating?" Raali suggested, starting to get annoyed at his arrogance. Yes, perhaps she was attracted to him even before this day, but there was still no way in hell she would have ever even touched him...or would she? She began to ponder on the subject. Would she really have done anything had she been able to run away from the situation? Of course not, she assured herself. "Just because an elleth finds you attractive doesn't mean she desires an invitation to your bed chamber."

He was smiling now, no longer angry and knelt down in front of her.

"But you did," he said. "You desired it greatly. Your mouth may speak lies, but your eyes do not."

Now she was the one that was angry. Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Really Haldir, how ever do you manage to stand up for so long?" she fumed. "It seems that the weight of your enormous head should have made you keel over by now."

"Your sense of humor never ceases to amuse me," he said dryly, "Especially when you deny yourself as you do now."

"I do not deny myself!" Raali exclaimed, her anger a burning flame inside of her, "You arrogant elf! You just think every elleth in this land wants to lay with you!"

"That is because they do," Haldir laughed. "And most of them certainly have."

This made her even angrier. How _dare _he say these things to her! Who did he think she was!

He laughed again as he caught her wrist as her hand prepared to slap him across the face once more. He pulled her up by that wrist and held her against him as she struggled weakly, knowing full well that she would fall if he let go.

"You are jealous?" he taunted as he pinned her arms behind her.

"No!" Raali growled. "You deem yourself more important than you actually are, March Warden!"

"Oh but I am very important to everyone," he said. "Including you, no matter how much you deny it."

"Your arrogance knows no bounds, does it?" she said angrily. "Please put me to bed now before your ego suffocates me entirely."

"Oh no, you do not want to go to bed yet," he laughed, pressing her even closer to him. "You want to stay and argue. I know you better than you think."

"You think you know me so well?" Raali was furious. "I have done nothing to warrant this behavior from you! And I do not like you or want you and I wish you would just leave me alone!"

"That's not the impression I got when you were calling out my name just a few hours ago," he whispered huskily into her ear.

She was speechless and felt herself shiver ever so slightly as he nuzzled his face into her neck.

"Have you nothing to say in your defense?" he chuckled softly.

"I hate what you're doing to me," she said breathlessly. "You know as well as I that this cannot continue. You only complicate things."

"Oh no, Raali," he suddenly picked her up and started to carry her towards the bedroom. "It is you who complicates our matters." He laid her gently on the bed and then moved to lay next to her, blowing out the oil lamp that lit up the room. "It is you who makes it more difficult."

"How so?" Raali turned to him, her fingers lightly caressing his smooth skin.

"You may not be brave enough to admit but I am," he whispered to her as he kissed her neck, his hand on her thigh. "I have desired you for a long time. Ever since I set my eyes upon you in the forest, even when I thought that you were trouble, I still wanted you."

He moved on top of her gracefully, his hands on her hips, his lips on her neck.

"You're like a flame that I can't seem to put out," he said in a breathy whisper. "You burn me, little one."

She was rendered speechless once again and was completely consumed by desire when he finally kissed her with such passion, that it actually caused a single tear to caress her cheek.

"You are mine," he whispered as he took her once more.

* * *

**A/N: I hope this wasn't too much and I pray pray pray that this won't be taken off. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it because I can tell you it was certainly fun.** **I am glad to see people reading and enjoying. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a private message (you can do so through this site). Don't bother with the e-mail because even if I said on the profile to contact me at that address I rarely check it and yes I am a very naughty author for doing that but well, deal with it. :-P As many of you might have noticed, I have been updating like crazy lately. This is due to the fact that a) I am on break and b) I just got past a whole bunch of writer's block and my ideas for this story have just been pouring out. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! It has been much appreciated. **


	15. Raali 15

It was a few more days before Raali had enough strength to walk. She felt like a child in Haldir's arms as he held her up, telling her to put one foot in front of the other. Yet, finally, she had regained her former strength and was almost sad to leave his talan after spending so much time there. She had gotten used to her surroundings and especially Haldir. His talan made her feel as if she was at home, comfortable.

Most importantly however, she did not once feel alone. Haldir had shown her that he cared in more ways than one.

"You are more than a mere duty to me," he had reassured her when she questioned him about where they stood. "I would not so willingly share myself with one who was not deserving."

His words made her feel better and on the last day of her stay in his talan, they sat together on his balcony, watching the city, he told her of their future.

"I know I have stated earlier that we should keep our feelings for each other hidden," he held her hand, staring deeply into her eyes. "And I hold true to that, for a short time. We must wait. Then we can tell others."

"Really Haldir?" Raali asked, her eyes turning to him, surprised that he would be willing to tell someone of their relationship in the future. The wind blew her dark hair about her. "But when?"

"When it is time," he answered, reaching over and brushing the loose strands in front of her face away. "We will know when. Have patience." She could not help but smile at this good news.

"But meanwhile?" she quirked an eyebrow.

"Meanwhile, nobody is to know," he ran a finger across her lip. "Nobody would understand just yet."

"I won't tell a soul," Raali nodded and moved to kiss him. "I don't know how I will be able to resist you at practice."

"You must try," he laughed softly, accepting her kiss. "You must understand that my actions will have nothing to do with my feelings for you. What I do is what I do to keep my reputation and respect. I will treat you no differently than my other soldiers and you will get no special treatment. Do you understand?"

"I never expected nor have I received any from you," Raali stared at him coldly. "It will be no surprise to me." Haldir could not help but smile slightly at this.

"I see you are not bitter in the least," he said sarcastically.

"I am used to being shunned by you," she stood and walked to the railing, looking over the beauty of the city. He watched her, knowing where her thoughts lay.

Raali felt his arms wrap around her waist and sighed at the feel of his touch.

"I can no longer deny you," he murmured in her ear, brushing her hair from her neck. "You have captured me, Raali."

His words sent shivers down her spine and she could not help but feel the tears in her eyes. Never had she felt this emotion from anyone or for anyone. It made her feel weak. There was no place for this back in her village life. She felt like she didn't deserve this, as if she was wasting precious time. As if she was wasting his time. But the way he held her made her question her thinking.

She hated being confused by this emotion, by these sensations.

"You know not what you say, March Warden," Raali attempted to hide the tears from her voice but he knew instantly and turned her around to face him. She shook her head at him as he pulled her closer.

"You are the sweetest sin," he said. His lips met hers in a passionate kiss and his hands entangled themselves into her hair. Raali's heart was racing and she felt herself getting lightheaded. Unless he was just a good liar, she had to admit that the kiss and his words proved to her what he truly felt towards her. Yet she was intelligent enough to know that he did not wish to feel these things for her and she knew not why she should wait for someone who was almost "embarrassed" to be seen with her, as a friend or a lover.

Everything would work out.

He assured her this.

She believed him and sincerely hoped that she would not grow to regret this path that he had laid out for her.

* * *

Raali opened the door to her talan only to receive one of the biggest surprises in her life. There was perhaps 30 or so elves in there, smiling and laughing as they welcomed her home and bid her to drink delicious wine. There was music and dancing until late into the night and when everyone had gone (and helped her clean), she fell into the comfort of her own bed and hoped that Haldir would take it easy on her when she went back to training in a few days.

Yet time seemed to rush by her and before she knew it, it was dawn and she was pulling her tunic on. She wondered if anything would change with Haldir. In her mind, she knew nothing would. He would be just as cold and distant as ever, if not more. In her heart, however, she wished for him to turn warm grey eyes towards her when ever he passed her. She wished he would suddenly surprise her and proclaim to the whole brigade of their relationship.

'I am a fool,' she laughed sadly and then grabbing her weapons, she started her walk to the training ground. Her thoughts drifted to Merel and Eland and she hoped she got to practice archery today with them. It would give them a chance to talk and relax slightly.

The sun was creeping out of the trees and she sighed in happiness. She was arriving early and she knew it. It was a vain attempt to see him early and hoped that he noticed her and perhaps would steal a kiss before practice began.

As she walked on the path, a presence was made known to her. It was not friendly. She turned suddenly and faced this presence.

There was no one there. The path was empty. Slightly shaken, she hurried on her way to the training grounds, the feeling of the presence still with her. Every few moments, she would look behind her and see if there was anyone there, but there was not. She reached the training grounds before most others, as she usually had before. She scowered for Haldir yet found him nowhere to be seen. Nor did she catch sight of Merel or Eland.

She decided to do her stretches and then felt the negative presence once more. It was stronger than before and she grabbed her sword and swung around to counter the slicing blade of her attacker.

Soras' eyes gleamed with an unknown intent. Yet he set his sword down and smiled.

"You have improved," he nodded, looking amused at her cautious and suspicious impression. She lowered her sword as well, still breathing hard.

"What do you want?" she asked, impatiently. "Don't have anything better to do, like kill babies or something?"

"On the contrary, I wish to speak with you," he said softly, a charming smile on his face. Raali itched to cut it off with her sword.

"Your words are poison to my ears, dear Soras," she spat.

"And yours are a sweet nectar," he smiled gently. This made her uneasy.

"What is your game?" she said, sword lowered, but in hand.

"No game," he waved her concern away, "I simply wish to offer you advice."

"No thank you," she said curtly.

"I insist," Soras said, stepping towards her. She made the mistake of taking a step back and saw a flash of triumph in his eyes. "We all work as one for the good of Lorien. Thus, while you're on duty on the borders, be very careful."

"No, Soras, I will not be careful," Raali bit off sarcastically. "I will rampage through the forest with sword in hand." Rolling her eyes, put her sword down and continued her stretches.

"There are worse things than orcs on the borders," he suddenly whispered to her and, brushing past her, walked over to his friends who stood staring at them. A lone elleth walked away from them, dressed in a sentinel's attire.

Raali turned away and fidgeted nervously. He was just trying to scare her. She was sure of this. He certainly found an interesting way of telling her though. Why would he follow her, attack her as he did? Questions like these filled her head and left her unsettled.

Her thoughts drifted to her reaction. She was very surprised and proud of herself that she was able to sense him and counterattack. She also did not realize how much stronger she had become and how her muscles had developed. Her movements were faster and more skilled, yet still lacked the grace that seemed to be innate in the Galadhrim. She was fine with that. She never had any grace to begin with and she doubted that anyone here would be the least surprised of this.

"Raali!" she was suddenly tackled to the ground, the breath forced out of her. "You're back!"

Merel and Eland laughed and rolled off of her. Coughing, laughing, and trying to get her breath back, Raali stood up with their help.

"I'm surprised I survived that," she laughed.

"If you were Tani, you wouldn't have," giggled Merel and received a playful and yet painful punch from Eland. "What? We would have gotten up and there would be nothing but a stain on the ground."

Raali smirked. "Merel, it's inappropriate for you to say such things. Had Tani been a soldier, she would have been just as strong as I am now."

"Yes but she-," Merel started to say, but was cut off by Eland's insistence that he shut up and stretch.

Continuing to stretch, they spoke of Eland's lady friend who had amused them all very much. Raali was entertained by the stories that Eland told of his little sentinel. In one of them, she somehow managed to tangle an arrow in her hair and unintentionally save the life of her captain. At the least, she seemed like a fun person and Raali was more than eager to meet her after the stories that Eland told.

The familiar call to line up was heard and Raali's heart raced as she saw Haldir speaking with his brothers, Rumil and Orophin. He did not look at her as she passed by rather quickly and hurried to stand in between Merel and Eland.

Straightening, she assumed her military posture and waited for him to come by. He passed her without even a glance in her direction yet she herself could not help but stare at him. He seemed even more noble and beautiful to her than before. Even despite his military demeanor and despite the fact that he was yelling at someone at the moment, her mind replayed him on top of her, at the height of their lovemaking, his hair caressing her skin, his scent, his breath on her neck, the feel of him...

She did not realize that she was staring at him and when his steel gaze suddenly slid to hers, she felt herself draw in her breath and looked straight ahead. Her heart pounding with fear (hope) suddenly.

"And what do you find so interesting in this chastisement?" his voice lacked emotion.

"Nothing, March Warden," she said, as she continued to stare ahead, yet he moved in front of her and she was forced to stare into pure ice.

"Perhaps you would like the same?" he growled.

'You have no idea,' she thought and resisted her urge to laugh outright. She knew she was stepping into dangerous territory yet she could not resist the thrill of the chase, the pull of him. Suddenly becoming all too aware of herself, she had realized her mistake and swallowed, her eyes dawning with fear. He could punish her brutally for anything. He had told her this and she had completely forgotten it, thinking stupidly that because of...what ever it was they had, he would be more gentle and lenient. She was so very wrong. So very stupid.

"No, March Warden," Raali said. He growled in response and moved away from her. She exhaled silently, releasing the breath that she did not realize she had been holding for a while now.

"I have two announcements," Haldir stated. "The first is that you will all be sent to the border next week." This slapped Raali in the face. Was she truly ready for border duty? Was she truly that well trained? Her heart raced at the very thought.

"The second," the March Warden continued, "is that we will not be using weapons today." There was a slight confusion in the air, though everyone remained silent, their eyes on their leader. "We will be learning hand-to-hand combat today. This will come in handy in numerous situations and can even be incorporated with the use of weaponry, though there will be none of that today. I do realize that this was one of the first things we learned in training, though for many of us it has been too long since we have practiced it without the use of weapons. We will be training like this for the next few days. Any practice with weaponry will be practiced on your own time. Is that understood?"

"Yes, March Warden," voices in unison proclaimed.

"Choose your partners wisely," he said and all moved to join partners. Merel and Eland were together as usual and thus Raali was partnered with another friend she had gained, Gildar.

"Raali," a deep voice behind her made her jump slightly and she turned around to the sight of Haldir.

"Yes, March Warden?" she looked up at him, cautiously.

"You will be partnered with me since you are unfamiliar with Lorien hand-to-hand combat," he said. "Gildar, you will practice with Rumil." Gildar bowed and walked away towards Rumil.

She watched him leave and then turned back to Haldir with cautious eyes.

"First, you will learn the stance," Haldir said, ignoring her stare. "One arm on a parallel plane to that just slightly below your eye level. This is the arm that will be on the offensive if it needs to be. The other crossed, your thumb should be barely touching your cheek bone, this will protect you. Though both will aid in whatever action you choose, note that these will be the main ones in your actions. Always."

Raali nodded, assuming the position, as he had. He continued to show her proper stances to help keep her balance and she learned them quickly. She must have learned a hundred before the training was finished and he dismissed them.

She bowed low, thanking him. Their eyes met briefly and for a moment, she could sense emotion in them for her. But it was brief and they took on their ice like appearance once more and he turned from her, walking to meet his friends.

Merel and Eland caught up with her and her eyes moved to meet them warmly. They were to go to dinner after they all bathed and changed.

"How was training with Haldir?" asked Merel as they walked her to her talan.

"It was fine," she shrugged. "I am just learning postures and positions so far. You know, balance and stances. He's mostly been yelling at me because I can't keep my back straight."

"Yes, that is difficult for someone with your posture," Eland smiled.

"I never said I was perfect," Raali shot him a look. "Besides, I am trying. Haven't I improved?"

"You have," laughed Merel. "And because of this, you have grown 4 inches."

"I do not slouch that horribly!" Raali cried, punching him playfully on the arm. "Do I?"

"You did," confirmed Eland with a smile. "But I only say this because you don't do it anymore. In no time, your stances and posture will be perfect."

"Still, I cannot believe he is sending us out of border duty," sighed Merel. "I mean, I just can't believe it is our turn again."

"Our turn?" Raali raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"It's a system, you see," Eland explained. "We are not the only group that protects the borders. There are about six others, which is why we have not gone to the borders in such a long while. Mainly that and because the borders have been especially quiet these days. The quieter the borders are, the more time spent at the borders. The more violent, the less time between rotation. There are other rules but it all gets very complicated. That's the basics of it. In a week, we will join the other group so they can go home and rest."

"Let us hope that the border is as quiet for us as it was for them," Merel sighed.

They had finally reached the stairs of her talan and waved goodbye to her as she ran up the steps with her weapons in tow. In a way, she glad that she would not have to bring them for the next few days because it meant she did not have to lug them around with her on her early walk to the training grounds. She also rather enjoyed having Haldir as her partner. She hoped he would pin her down as often as he could manage...

She entered and pulled off her tunic instantly dropping it into Haldir's lap.

Haldir's lap. Haldir's lap?

She cried out in surprise and then stood speechless in her leggings and upper undergarments.

"Um..hello," she managed. With his arms crossed, he was giving a look that showed her that he was not the least bit happy with her. She stilled, her breath catching in her throat. His very presence affected her and he made her uncomfortable with his piercing gaze.

It moved. Sliding over her body, capturing every smudge of dirt, every wrinkle in her uniform, every curve. She didn't quite know what to do, but felt trapped underneath his gaze.

She cleared her throat, trying to regain her senses. "Is there anything I can help you with, March Warden?"

He rose then, towering over her as he approached and she wondered what he was doing. Her blue eyes narrowed and watching him suspiciously. Her mouth opened to speak, but before she could, he grabbed her with lightening speed and pulled her forward, kissing her non-too gently.

His lips were hard and bruising against hers and she groaned against him as they started to numb slightly. His grip on her wrists was quite painful and she wished he would let go of her mouth so she could tell him this. She tugged at them, but this did not deter him. He sucked the breath out of her lungs, leaving her squirming against him for air. And when he tore his mouth away, his gaze was still cold.

"What game do you think you play, little one?" he growled. "I am far older and far wiser than you. You think you can best me?" Still fighting for breath, she shook her head furiously.

"Of course not," he laughed suddenly. It was not warm. "Because you cannot. Very wise of you."

"I don't understand," she said, panic in her voice.

"Don't you?" he snarled, pulling her closer. "Sending me those images in the middle of training! In the middle of me reprimanding a soldier?"

Realization dawned on her. When she was thinking _those _thoughts about him, he could sense it. He could also feel it. He could also see the images!

"I did that?" she asked, knowing that this was not the best time to start laughing. "But how?"

His grip on her loosened and he sighed. "You are more naive than I thought."

"I am learning much today," she grinned yet quickly stopped when he shot her a glare.

"You have shared yourself with me quite recently," Haldir said, releasing her and turning away. "We still share a bond. Our souls are still...connected so to speak. When you have _those_ thoughts or feelings, I can sense them too. As you can sense mine as well."

"It fades with time?" Raali asked.

"Yes," Haldir said. "It is only a matter of days."

"I am sorry, Haldir," she said. "I did not mean to...if I had known-."

"I know," the March Warden said, his voice growing softer, "It is not your fault. I merely assumed you knew." She was not sure how to react. Only a few days ago, they were being compassionate with one another and now it had become like before. He kept twisting himself into something new every time. She could never see what he truly was, no matter how she tried.

He turned towards her then, coming so close that she could feel his breath against her lips. She felt his hand move to caress her cheek.

"You do not know how hard it is to resist you," he whispered. "Do not make it any more difficult for me than it already is."

"That wasn't my intention," she said breathlessly, looking into his eyes and finding solace, comfort within them.

"Wasn't it?" he asked softly. "Putting images of us into my head. Of you, beneath me, your touch, your scent. It was enough to drive one mad. I could barely concentrate."

"But you seemed fine," Raali protested.

"I have grown adept to hiding my emotions from others," he said. "Nevertheless, you must swear to me that you cannot do it again. At least while others are around."

"I cannot promise you that, March Warden," she suppressed a smile. "I know not where my thoughts will take me when I set sight on you."

"Then you shall suffer the consequences," he purred as his eyes grew dark with desire. She cried out with a yelp as he pushed her down onto the couch and pinned her beneath him with his weight. "Every time you so wish to exchange such images with me, you will be punished."

"If this is the punishment then may I be forever guilty," she laughed as he slowly slid off her top undergarment, revealing her to him..

He merely smiled at her as his hands gently caressed wherever they pleased and his lips descended on hers. He set her on fire with his tongue, plundering her wonderfully pliant mouth. His hips ground into hers with a steady rhythm that threatened to escalate. His hands moved to her breasts, soothing, careening, and adding intensity to her flame.

She moved against him, matching him in intensity. He had moved a knee between her legs, forcing her to react against it and when she was at the height of her pleasure he suddenly rose off of her

"Disobey me again and it will be much much worse," he promised her with a cunning smile and then left. As the door swung shut, she had a sudden urge to run after him and tackle him to the ground, first finishing what he started, then killing him in the most horrible way possible.

'How dare he leave in the middle of...of...,' she fumed as she paced back and forth, still topless and angry. Finally regaining her senses, she ran herself a bath and washed the dirt, sweat, and the forever lingering scent of the March Warden off of herself and changed into a light blue dress that gave the wonderful illusion that she was taller than she actually was.

**_Haldir POV_**

* * *

I had sincerely hoped no one could notice.

With the images that were torturing me the entire day, I could think of nothing else but to get back at her for leaving me in such a frustrated state. I had to use all of my power not to grab her and ravish her in front of everyone on the training grounds. The silly elleth seemed to be completely unaware of what she was doing but I wondered if she did it on purpose just to torment me. We would find out soon enough, I had thought at the moment.

I instilled my revenge on her, making her reach a point where her body was pleading for me. I could have gone further, really made her feel what I had felt earlier that day, but decided that she would probably melt right here (and truth be told, I would have melted with her).

As I walked back to my talan, I still yearned for her touch. I yearned for the taste of her mouth and her skin.

'Soon,' I assured myself, regulating my breathing so that I could calm myself. I still wonder why I am so affected by her and what this will bring. She is one of little importance, yet I seek satisfaction in her. It seems that only she can quench my desire.

Warnings flash in front of my eyes as I look at her and yet I manage to ignore them every time. It is like going down an ancient road that no one has trekked in centuries and seeing skeletons on the way. The unknown never ceases to make me uneasy.

I find myself under her spell. An intricate web of a spell she weaves all around me, enclosing me in herself until I am trapped and am glad to be.

I just wish it was easier.

* * *

Raali dug into her food with such intensity that the other three, as well as other elves at the table and those who were passing by, stopped what they were doing and stared. She had skipped breakfast that morning and was glad to actually have some food in her stomach and ignoring the elbow action to her ribs via Merel, she chugged down her wine and then relaxed against him.

Slightly annoyed, he shook her off.

"Eeerrrmmm," Eland interrupted her slightly. "Are you alright?"

"I was so hungry," Raali groaned, running a hand through her dark hair. "I hadn't eaten the entire day."

"Poor elleth," Tani looked at her with pity. Now she was perfectly full, but something else was wrong. She sensed a sudden negativity around her again yet she did not know where it was coming from. Looking around, she suddenly spotted Soras staring at her, yet when she caught his eye he turned away swiftly.

As her friends resumed their conversation, her eyes searched desperately for Haldir. She found him sitting at a far off table, discussing something seemingly important with other wardens and captains. She watched him, his face cold and serious as he explained some important military plan to them (or so she imagined).

Feeling suddenly wicked, her mind conjured up a nice image of his release when she was attending to him orally and she sent this image to him, along with a strong dose of desire and few other naughty images that she so happened to recall. Raali stared at him, watching his reaction as he suddenly coughed into his wine and looked a bit unnerved. She watched his eyes suddenly lash out to look for her but she ducked down and put her head on her hands, gaining a few strange glances.

"Raali, what is wrong with you today?" Merel asked, looking annoyed. "You've gone completely insane!"

"I am fine," she said, smiling sweetly," Now Eland, where is that precious sentinel of yours? Bring her here so we can meet."

"Will do," he said and seemed more like an elfling as he dashed off to find his lady friend.

"Ugh, thanks a lot Raali," Tani rolled her eyes.

"You don't like her?" Raali asked.

"She's just so annoying," Tani sighed. "Too young. She is much too young. You will see."

"Here she is!" Eland said from behind them and Raali turned to look at the elleth. Although she did look quite young, she had an air about her that demanded respect. She was mature and confident in her stance and the expression on her face was warm and amused.

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Raalith," the elleth bowed her head. "My name is Gael. Eland has told me much about you."

"Please, call me Raali," Raali smiled at the sentinel. "Eland has told me much about you as well. Won't you sit down with us?"

Gael nodded and sat down next to Raali, her grey eyes studying her.

"Eland tells me you are a sentinel," and so Raali began a lengthy conversation that lasted well into the night. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Gael was perfect for Eland and balanced him out completely. Whenever he was serious, she was laughing. Whenever he was sarcastic, she was twice as sarcastic. She was perfect for Eland but most of all, she was kind and considerate as well as humble.

She asked many questions about the training techniques of Haldir's brigade and Raali explained them as best as she could. Raali realized she could see herself being friends with this elleth, despite the sneers of Merel and Tani.

They had both left, muttering rudely about Gael's unwelcome presence.

"Do not listen to them," Raali reassured the two. "There will be many who do not approve but the important thing is that you do. If you both care for each other as you say you do, other people's opinions shouldn't matter!"

"Yes but they are my friends," sighed Eland, looking rather sad. Gael took his hand in her own and held it.

"I am your friend as well and I approve," Raali said. "And as your friend, I am giving you advice. Don't listen to them. They will get used to it! They will have to anyways."

Both smiled warmly at each other and then at Raali. After finishing off their wine, they parted ways, Eland and Gael leaving together hand in hand, and Raali, walking the path to her talan alone.

It was quiet and she came upon no one else. It seems that everyone had retired early as the city was silent. She walked slowly, treasuring the night that enclosed her. Around her, the city glowed in silver light and she could smell the flowers on the ground.

It was a beautiful night and she hoped it would never-

The thought was cut off as she stopped and sensed it. There it was again, the negative presence. She stopped and looked around hopelessly. She did not have her sword ready and this made her nervous. At this point, she was quite sure that the negative presence was Soras and she took off running towards her talan. When she finally got to its steps, she stopped and the negative presence disappeared. Standing on the bottom stair, catching her breath, she wondered what this presence was all about. It confused her greatly as she did not know whether it was really Soras or one of his other hooligan friends.

Yet she was caught by surprise when she was suddenly pulled against a tree. She found herself looking into Haldir's darkened eyes and then in darkness as her eyes closed and he kissed her with a desire that only she could quench.

"Let us relive those delightful thoughts you sent to me," he whispered against her lips.

"Yes," she managed to rasp and could not take her eyes off of him as he led her up the stairs to her talan.

Yet neither noticed the eyes that watched them from afar.

* * *

**A/N: Wow! I'm writing a story that I just might end up finishing. How lovely. A big thank you to all that reviewed, especially to Tiffany who keeps me happy with her reviews and support:-) Thanks girl!  
**


	16. Raali 16

The March Warden's hair somehow managed to stay perfect even as he thrust into her. It spilled down his back and over his shoulders, gently moving with him as he moved with her. Raali ran her fingers through it as she clung to him in her ecstacy. The scent of him overpowered her as he dipped down to kiss the nape of her neck, his grey eyes clouded with desire as he watched her.

Both lost themselves in each other, taking and giving yet never letting go. He moved off of her, pulling her against him and holding her gently as his chest rose and fell, the speed of his breathing steadily declining. Raali continued to run her hands up and down his chest, still dazed from the pleasure.

"I feel as if I can't get close enough to you," she whispered softly in the darkness, "I feel like I just want to crawl inside of you and stay there."

She pressed her head against his chest, hearing the steady beating of his heart. His fingers stroked her hair, making her shiver against him as he brushed the tips of her ears in the process. He said nothing as he simply reveled in the afterglow of their lovemaking, of her presence, of her words.

Her words? He suddenly paused, his hand coming to rest on her back. He knew she wanted much more from their relationship. But how much more? In fact, what did _he _want from all of this? It seemed hidden to him and he fought to understand the situation they were in for he had a hard time understanding it himself.

He cared for her, yet he did not know, nor did he want to know how deep his "care" for her truly was. He knew he was taking the cowards way out of ignoring the issue until it rose up but that it how he dealt with these sorts of dilemmas. He had no problem battling orcs or goblins, yet matters of the heart were a completely different issue to tackle. That and even the mention of the dreaded "L" word made him want to hide.

Even after a few thousand years, he still did not believe he was ready for anything like...like _that_. He simply could not imagine himself in that kind of relationship and he shifted uncomfortably at the sudden realization of their relationship.

She was his lover. She knew what he liked and what he did not like. She knew what made him cry out in pleasure or what made him simply sigh in relaxation. But most of all, she knew how to make his tea in the morning (very strong and bitter with just the right amount of spice). No one, not one elleth that he was with, not even his own brothers, knew how to make his tea in the morning. Yet Raali had watched him carefully as he prepared it for himself every morning and he was very surprised that she had learned, even getting herself a sack of the spices especially for him, even though she never used them. This small gesture touched him deeply though he did not know why.

His thoughts were interrupted by her own as she sent him an image that made his breath catch in his throat. He looked down at her and found her eyes to be very dark and her smile slow and sensual as her hand reached to gently caress him. He hissed with pleasure and made her cry out in surprise and glee as he pushed her back down against the soft bed, his hair falling around her face.

A few hours later, she watched him as he slept, his hair spread out along the pillows, his head slightly back, the nape of his neck exposed to her. His hips lay hidden underneath the blanket yet his upper torso, well built and irresistibly masculine, rose and fell with his breathing. She admired him for several moments until she lost herself deep in thought.

How would her friends react when she told them of their relationship? Merel and Tani had already reacted quite badly to Eland's sentinel. Yet, how would they react to Haldir, the March Warden that they all respected, yet greatly disliked. She knew she should take her own advice and not care, but in truth, she cared deeply about what her friends would think about whatever it was her and Haldir shared.

Whatever it was. She still could not find a definition for them.

Secret lovers, perhaps? That was what she named it.

'Or perhaps you simply try to hide the fact that you're his whore,' a voice inside her stung. She gasped at this thought and suddenly felt uneasy. Was it true? Was she really a whore?

'Of course not!' she reassured herself. 'Because...because...he cares about me.'

'Oh?' her psyche countered.

'Yes!' she fought back. 'He cares! He said so!'

'Words are not always sincere.'

'_His_ words are sincere.'

'If it makes you feel better, believe what you like. You merely fight the truth.'

She lay beside the March Warden as he slept peacefully. Her mind was distraught. She had to know.

She had to know now.

"Haldir," she pushed at him. "Haldir, wake up." He groaned and turned away.

"Haldir, I need to ask you something," she pulled at his arm. He grumbled something and then sighed.

"What is it, Raali?" his voice heavy with sleep.

"Am I whore?" she asked quickly. He sighed and turned towards her, his gray eyes opening as he looked at her troubled expression.

"What?"

"Do you think I'm a whore?" she asked again. He moved to pull her towards him, but she resisted.

Sighing, he sat up, running a hand through his hair. "What makes you ask me such a thing?" he frowned.

"It is a simple yes or no question, Haldir," she said, her tone clipped.

"No, I do not think you are a whore," Haldir answered truthfully, "But I ask you again, what makes you ask me such a thing?"

"Because I feel like one," she whispered. "Because I like being intimate with you even though you refuse to acknowledge me in public. Because it seems that it is all you want from me. Because no matter how hard I try, I cannot resist you."

He moved towards her with such speed that she did not have time to react. He was leaning over her, staring into her blue eyes as he pinned her down, secretly fearing she would leave (even if it was her own talan).

"I will not lie to you," he said. "I cannot discern my feelings for you just yet. But know this, I care for you deeply, Raali. Though it may not seem so at times, I have never felt for anyone what I feel for you, make no mistake of that."

A tear ran down her cheek at his words and kissed it before it slid down her jaw line. Those were exactly the words that she wanted to hear from him and nothing could express her happiness at the moment.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," she said in a small voice.

He smiled at her then, "Not as sorry as you're going to be," and kissed her passionately.

* * *

Raali woke to an empty bed. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she pulled on one of Haldir's oversized shirts that she "borrowed" and walked out into the kitchen. He was dressed and making breakfast.

"What are you making?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his waist. "The infamous bread and cheese of Haldir? Perhaps preparing some wine as well?"

"That happened only once," he remarked, holding back a smile. "No, my dear, this morning you will receive a fruit tart for breakfast. Along with freshly squeezed fruit juice."

Raali made a sound of surprise and approval and moved to sit at the table while he served her. "Tell me how you like it."

It looked delicious. Scooping up a spoonful, she engulfed the food in her mouth and looking up at Haldir, smiled sweetly and swallowed.

"Well?" he questioned.

Raali nodded, trying not to gag. "It is...quite good...very good...just amazing...it is..."

"You hate it, don't you?" he smirked.

"Haldir, are you sure you used sugar?" asked Raali.

"Perfectly, why here it is and this is...," he trailed off as he tasted the dusty white substance, "flour. Salted flour. Wonderful."

Raali could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, moving to hug him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him.

"Your heart was in the right place," she said warmly, "and I thank you for letting me sleep in, but now let me prepare the breakfast." He gave her a peck on the lips and moved to sit down.

"Even though I probably won't be able to taste it since your salty fruit tart burned away any sense of taste I had," she muttered jokingly but could not help crying out and laughing as he slapped her hard on the behind.

"You can't take being mocked?" she teased.

"There will be no mocking of the March Warden in this talan," Haldir gave her an arrogant smirk and tried in vain to hide his smile.

"Too late," she mused, cutting up fruit.

"It is never too late to punish a certain someone," he said, his tone cold and teasing. Yet she had learned to handle it, and simply turned and stuck out her tongue at him, making him laugh in turn.

After a well-sized breakfast, they went back to her room for yet another session of passionate intimacy. Raali knew she could never get tired of this. Afterwards, they moved to the bathroom to bathe, yet as Raali looked in the mirror, she gave herself a smirk of disapproval.

Haldir watched her as he himself climbed into the tub. "Is something wrong?" he quirked an eyebrow at her. "Is there a certain body part I forgot to praise and/or give pleasure to?"

Raali shot him a look and then looked back into the mirror.

"My breasts...," she began but was interrupted.

"Are beautiful," he finished for her. "Beautifully shaped, round, rose-tipped, delicious, wonderful, etc. Get in the tub."

"No...but...but...,"she was almost pouting. "They shrunk!"

"What?" Haldir scoffed. "You're seeing things. No they haven't."

"They have!" Raali cried, inspecting herself sideways. "It's because of all these muscles and the training! All the upper body exercise! It made my breasts shrink!"

"There's no problem with your breasts, Raali," Haldir sighed. "Please get into the tub and perhaps I can persuade you to appreciate them."

"I didn't say that I didn't," she mused sadly. "It's just I'm not very pleased that they shrunk." She sighed and climbed into the bathtub with Haldir, who in no time at all, made her truly appreciate her what she had.

* * *

The following day, Raali rose out of bed and dressed for training. Stretching, she looked at herself in the mirror and smirked. They _did _shrink, no matter what Haldir thought. She shuddered as memories of him whispered through her mind. Braiding her hair, she left her talan and walked swiftly to the training grounds.

Spotting Haldir a few feet away, she sent him a few rather naughty images and walked faster towards her friends, smiling cheekily to herself.

"Good morning Raali," smiled Merel as he and Eland stretched. Eland greeted her as well and she joined them in their stretches.

"Where have you been these days?" Eland asked. "We're all really worried about you. We were thinking of coming by unexpectedly but decided against it. You really must be with us more often Raali."

"I know,"she sighed, eternally grateful that they did not come by unexpectedly. It would indeed have been an interesting surprise. "I'm sorry. I've just been a bit of a recluse these days, but I promise I'll start going out with you guys again."

"Good," snorted Merel. "Because frankly, I'm a bit sick of the other three and -ow! What was that for!"

"You know what that was for," Eland laughed.

"Wow, so you've accepted Gael, Merel?" Raali asked. "Even Tani?"

"Yes," sighed Merel. "I suppose she grows on you. But she could never replace you, Raali. I believe it is safe to say that you are missed."

"Well, I just told you that I would be with you more often," Raali replied. "I just need a bit of time to myself as well, you know?"

"Yes we know," Eland said sympathetically, "You've been through a lot and we want to help you through what ever it is you are going through. We are your friends, after all."

"After all," she laughed. "Yes, I know this and you guys have helped me more than you will ever know, but there are just some things that I need to deal with by myself."

It wasn't a complete lie. She was dealing with things by herself...until of course the March Warden joined in but she decided to cut that tiny insignificant detail out.

She thanked Haldir unconsciously for calling a line up so that she did not have to make up anymore excuses to her friends and followed along as everyone lined up quickly. Haldir did not seem to be his usual self. There was no yelling or chastising of any kind and he quickly dismissed everyone to their partners.

After making sure everyone had a partner, he turned to his own and growled at her to follow him. Deeper and deeper into the forest they went until they could no longer see the training field and it was only trees and light all around them. Haldir stopped walking and seemed to be deep in thought as Raali stumbled over a log, trying to keep up with him.

"March Warden?" she called him quietly. He did not respond, but merely stood there, seeming to take in the forest. She walked closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist as he spun around and slammed her hard against a tree, nearly taking all of the breath out of her. His mouth plundered hers savagely as he shoved a knee in between her legs. She smiled into his mouth.

Oh yes. This is how she liked it. This is how it should be.

He had let go of her hands and they had found the ties to his leggings beneath his tunic. Taking her roughly against the tree, both quickly found bliss. Haldir breathed raggedly into her neck.

"Do you see what you do to me?" he whispered. His eyes grew cold. "This is the last time that I will permit this. Send those images again and the experience will be much less pleasant, I assure you."

"Indeed," she murmured as he pulled away and she pulled her leggings back on as he tied his up.

"Let's go," he said, walking away as she was rushing to tie up her leggings, "You have much to learn."

Yet that afternoon she learned nothing new. It was mere practice of the same postures and stances that he had taught her last time.

"You did well," he told her. "Next training session, we will actually do something with those stances." She beamed up at him before taking her leave. His eyes followed her, admiring her from afar.

She was such a temptation to him. One he could not resist. And yet all of the time spent with her never seemed enough. They never ran out of things to talk about...or things to do. Here was an elleth that he did not grow tired of quickly. He had never met one that shared his interests...and his sexual appetite.

Inside, he wanted to make their relationship known to everyone so they would not have to hide their feelings for each other. He would like to hug her or give her a quick peck in front of other Galadhrim, as they all did with their own sweethearts. But the utter terror of the negative reactions that he knew he would receive prevented him from expressing his true feelings for her, even as the rest of his friends teased her behind her back. He never defended her and even made snide remarks about her that made the others laugh. Those remarks, however, came with a price. Every time he managed to utter one, behind his laughter, he could feel the pain in his heart. Because he knew she wasn't what they said she was. She wasn't what he said she was either.

"Hey Haldir!" called Soras, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Will you be joining us for a bit of drunken revelry this evening? You've been avoiding us a bit. Tell me, who is this elleth that you have leeched onto you? Is it Tagani? Perhaps Periwen?"

Haldir chuckled despite the fact that Soras' words made his blood run cold. "Nay, it is no mere elleth. The Lady has asked me to attend to several duties that have been taking up much of my time. Come now, Soras. What elleth in Lorien would I ever give that much of my attention to?"

It was the perfect lie. Yet he felt guilty for using the Lady in his deception, even though he felt it was necessary.

Soras nodded and smiled. "You must join us tonight, friend. Periwen has been asking about you."

"Has she?" he feigned interest. "Then I suppose I have no choice other than to attend tonight."

"See you at dinner," laughed Soras and gave him a pat on the back before walking away towards his talan.

Haldir's smile fell. The lies had officially begun to build up. He only hoped it would not all come crashing down on his head.

* * *

A/N: I will be updating more slowly because school has started for me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! 


	17. Raali 17

"But Haldir," Raali looked on at Haldir sadly as he pulled on his tunic and rubbed scented oil on his pulse points. "You said yesterday we would paint together tonight."

"I know, but I promised my friends that I would join their company tonight," he turned to her. "They are starting to suspect, you know."

She glared at him, "Is this where you tell me that we should see each other less?"

"No," he answered calmly, "This is where I tell you that people are starting to suspect."

Raali pulled on her own tunic and tights and went to stand next to him, watching as he braided several strands of his hair in an intricate fashion. Her own dark hair was loose around her shoulders.

"You are being paranoid," she snapped. "No one suspects anything!"

Smoothing out his hair, he turned to her. "Will you be here when I get back?"

"No!" she fumed. "I'm not going to wait for you like some human pet! If you are going to be with your friends, then I will be with mine." She walked out of the bedroom and before leaving his flat entirely, she yelled, "Have a nice time!" It was said in a less than pleasant tone.

Haldir sighed and ran his hands through his hair. What was he to do? In a perfect world, Raali would be getting ready to go with him and all would welcome her into their close-knit circle. But the world wasn't perfect and his friends would never accept Raali. They would never accept their relationship. As much as he would miss her company tonight, Haldir knew he had to spend more time with his friends. He hoped that she would eventually understand.

Walking out of his talan and into the sweet night of Lorien, he walked down to the festivities where he was met, as always, with warmth and respect.

* * *

Raali could not help but be upset at Haldir's behavior. She wondered why she let herself become so captivated by him that she would allow him to hide their relationship. It crushed her to think that he was ashamed of her.

The worst part was, was that as much as she tried to avoid it, Haldir had become her best friend.

And her dependency on him, to her, was pathetic. It wasn't proper for ellethim in the village to depend so much on their partner or lover. It wasn't normal. But this society was very different. Their ellethim were soft and demure. Fragile and beautiful, they glided through the city, lost in their dreams of love and gentle happiness.

Raali now understood what they thought about. She wondered if they too had similar dramas with their lovers/partners as she did. She wished she could move through the city as they did for Raali did not glide. Raali trudged. Raali dragged along. And when Haldir was watching she would roll her hips as she walked. But she never did glide.

Tonight, she donned a pearl-colored gown that ever so delicately hugged her curves yet allowed for much movement. Tonight, her dark hair was made up in a mixture of braids and loose hair with flowers entwined. Tonight, for once, she would look good when she was passed out drunk on the floor.

As she walked to Merel's talan, she could not take her mind off of the fact that Haldir was off somewhere else. It hurt her deeply. But as she ran up the steps with a quickening pace, she decided that she would get very very drunk and forget Haldir. She would be with her friends and she would rinse Haldir out of her mind with some good elvish wine.

Greeted warmly, as always, she ran towards Merel who happily poured her some wine and watched in amazement as she chugged it down in several gulps. At the gathering, there were some people that Raali did not know. Apparently, their friendly gathering had turned into a huge talan party. Music played loudly and the wine was forever flowing. In fact, Merel had to have twice as much wine brought in because of the rate that it was being consumed. The party had grown to massive proportions and expanded onto the balcony, the stairs, and finally, the bottom of the stairs down to the lowest platform. The wine seemed to have no problem spreading amongst the crowd.

Raali sat across from Eland and Gael in the kitchen, laughing and joking. Their presence with each other reminded her about herself and Haldir and she secretly envied them for the fact that they could proclaim their relationship and would not be shunned by their society.

As the two lovers spoke among themselves for several minutes, Raali sank back into her thoughts and imagined if Haldir was here with her. He would have his arm around her, holding her close, protective and strong. His hand would be on her hip to show others the lover's claim. And they would be smiling and laughing with all of their friends.

And he would say something like - "I can assure you, my lady, I wear my underpants all the time. Hahaha..."

Her mind blanched. 'Wait, what?' she suddenly jumped out of her thoughts. That was Haldir's voice. But Haldir was going to the festivities at his friend's tonight. What was he doing here?

"Eland," she shook her friend away from the lips of his beloved (who looked a bit put off and angry). "Can you go and see if the March Warden is here?"

Eland raised an eyebrow. "Why would the March Warden be here? Him and his prissy friends usually stay at the main festivities. They wouldn't come here."

"Pfew! This wine is rubbish!" an arrogant voice suddenly cried out from the living room which made all three look at each other in surprise. Eland got up and walked out of the kitchen. A moment later, he walked back in and had a worried look on his face.

"I don't believe it," Eland sighed. "They've raided our party."

"And Hald- and the March Warden is here?" she looked up, trying not to look too hopeful.

"Oh yes, he's here,"smirked Eland. "But I doubt he'd even care if he saw any of us. He's got some wench on his arm and he seems to be quite preoccupied with her."

"W-what?" Raali tried to hide her hurt as she possibly could. "O-oh well, well, that's to be expected."

"Raali, is everything alright?" Eland asked, moving closer.

"Of course, everything is fine, Eland," she answered, her voice shaky, "Why do you ask?"

"Because there are tears flowing down your face," he answered bluntly. Gael moved beside her. "Is...is...is something going on...between..."

"Oh Gaeli!" Eland snickered. "Not with the March Warden! Right, Raali?" When she averted her eyes and did not answer, his face fell. "Oh Raali."

"Please don't tell anyone," she pleaded. "No one was supposed to know."

"Well, of course, we won't tell," they both reassured her.

"It would be best not to tell Merel or Tani though," Gael advised and Eland nodded in agreement.

"How long?" Eland asked sullenly.

"Several months," Raali sniffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Raali, do you know what this could mean?" he said in a low voice to her. "Do you know what could happen to you if...," he trailed off. "Raali, you have so much more to lose than he does."

"I know," she nodded. "I don't know what to do."

"Stop seeing him," Eland said quickly. "Make it a friendship, if anything. But please, don't...don't fall for him."

"It's too late," Raali explained, shaking her head. "He has my heart and he knows it. My only regret was being weak enough to give it to him. I practically served it to him on a platter." Fresh tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks.

"Raali, this can't happen," Eland tried to explain as gently as he could. "You could get very hurt. If he can let this go on, then he obviously doesn't care for you. He is being selfish. He is using you! Raali, you must stop seeing him!"

"No," Raali shook her head. "You don't know him like I do. I realize now that no one really understands him because everyone, even his own friends, fear him too much. You don't understand him at all because you've never been around him. He has shown me a side that he has shown no one else. He has shown me his weakness and I have shown him mine. I don't expect you to understand."

Eland sighed and looked at Gael who sat, uncomfortable, fidgeting and biting her lip.

"Well, I won't tell anyone," Eland said finally. "But keep in mind that he is in there with another elleth on his lap. He has no respect for your friends and he would hurt you in an instant and it wouldn't affect him in any way. There are consequences of courting an edhel of power. Just remember, I warned you."

Raali nodded and suddenly felt stifled in the kitchen with the two lovers staring at her with pity. Well, with Eland it was more disapproval than pity, but Gael's eyes were filled with sympathy. That was the last thing Raali wanted. Yet another reason for everyone to pity poor helpless Raali.

Brimming with emotion and slight tipsiness, Raali decided to join some other friends in drunken glory, ignoring Haldir, the elleth on his lap, and his friends. Merel and Tani were talking loudly with others and everyone greeted her warmly and loudly as she entered the confines of their drinking circle. Several goblets of wine were passed to her and she drank them quickly, wishing to brush off the feel of Haldir's eyes on her. Yet suddenly, the musicians moved into the room and most of the people in the room started to dance.

Raali was pulled up on a table with an ellon of another brigade and his handsome face beamed down at her as they danced together. Soon, everyone had started to watch them and clap, cheer, whistle. Yet even as they danced in an intimate manner, Raali's gaze locked with Haldir's. His expression was almost unreadable. Almost.

No one else would have noticed it if they did not spend a great deal of time gazing into Haldir's eyes, but Raali knew that they spoke of a deadly calm. He looked cold and the elleth in his lap could not seem to get his attention, no matter how hard she was pulling at the ties on his leggings and tunic.

Even as she felt the ellon kiss her neck as he danced with her, she could not break eye contact. Her dress suddenly felt see-through and she felt disgusting but she wouldn't stop. This was just him trying to intimidate her.

She could feel her dress swivel around her ankles and the hands of the ellon on her hips as she moved against him. The alcohol certainly did not help her judgement.

Suddenly the ellon dipped her, and she found herself leaning back. Her eyes snapped wide open and the image of her and Haldir raced through her mind. She bit her lip from making a sound as she was brought back up, her hair moving around her waist.

_Haldir I love you..oh please...please..._

She tried to pretend that she wasn't listening to it, that she wasn't seeing it in her mind. But he wouldn't let up. His mind barraged hers with images of their love-making. Her eyes traveled weakly to him and she saw his lips on the elleth's neck, yet his eyes were on hers, watching her, predatory. His gaze was vicious, cruel, and she couldn't take it anymore.

Politely, she excused herself from the ellon's firm grasp and reluctantly, he let her slip out of his arms. Saying a quick goodbye to Merel and Tani, she walked out quickly and pushed through the numerous people. Though still very drunk (and turned on), she managed to stumble back to her talan and up the stairs, where she ran to her bed and collapsed, breaking apart into tears.

Burying her face in the pillow, she curled into a ball and tightened her fingers into her hair. She realized that she had learned a valuable lesson. She had learned that wine tends to exacerbate emotional pain and that drinking yourself stupid only works when the one who you are trying to forget in the first place isn't present during your wine binge.

"Did you enjoy that?" his voice mocked her.

She responded by tightening her fingers further into her hair and crying softer. And then she suddenly sat up to face him.

"You have the nerve to ask me that?" she hissed. "You come in with that whore on your arm and expect me not to react? You and your beastly friends raid my friend's talan and then you proceed to be all over that-that elleth and you ask me if I enjoyed it?"

"Then perhaps it was my imagination that you were practically fornicating with that ellon on your friend's table while spectators cheered you on,"he suggested calmly, his face hidden by the darkness. The moonlight only revealed part of his presence. "You were trying to anger me. Why? Just because I had Periwen in my lap?"

"So it has a name," glared Raali. "You had her in your lap and you were certainly enjoying yourself immensely. You practically couldn't keep your hands, or your lips, off of her." She turned away from him.

"You certainly did not mind when that ellon had his hands and lips on you," Haldir said, "if that makes Periwen a whore, what does that make you?"

"Is that what you think of me?" she asked. "Is that why you were with that elleth? Because you think I'm a whore and I wouldn't mind sharing you?"

"You are so quick to judge, Raali," he sighed. "You of all people. I would have never expected this kind of behavior from you. Does wine truly extinguish your personality that much?"

"This kind of behavior," she scoffed, "You know what, I don't even want to know why that elleth was on your arm tonight. I don't want to know anything. Just leave."

She lay back down with her back to him and heard the bedroom door close. Sighing, she willed her spinning mind to fall asleep so that what ever had just occurred would no longer be real. She would wake up and Haldir would be smiling and laughing with her and this night would not have happened.

But the shifting of the bed told her that it was all too real and she felt him move her to face him, pressing her into the mattress.

Her eyes averted to the side. She did not wish to look at him. What he did was unforgivable. She knew she had to stay strong.

But the feel of his fingertips on her face was too much and she could feel new tears slipping out of her eyes. She swallowed hard, her resolve failing. She could feel his eyes digging into her.

"You should know better than to question my fidelity to you," he said icily. "Periwen does like me, but there is nothing between us and never was. My friends encouraged me to speak with her and she eagerly clung to me. If I had pushed her away, it would have been too suspicious. I only do that to ellethim when I am with another."

"So you enacted a farce," she whispered.

"Yes, so to speak," he said, his lips gently brushing against her neck. "It was a facade, an act."

"And you kissing her, that was your revenge on me," her eyes met his. "You went too far." The moonlight illuminated his skin so that it gave off a warm glow. His eyes were expressionless and his expression was impassive.

"I went too far," he admitted, "but watching you dance with that ellon was infuriating. This was just as much my fault as it is yours."

"The ellon in question pulled me to him and I was quite drunk, Haldir," Raali explained and then her voice dropped. "I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to make you feel what I was feeling."

"I know," he said. "We were both at fault tonight. I should have explained the situation to you earlier but I did not think it would be a problem as I did not think that we would be coming to your friend's talan."

"I was planning to drink so much that I would forget you," she said in a quivering voice. "I wanted to forget you tonight."

There was a pause and then she heard him sigh. "I see," was all he said. "You were hurt that I was with my friends tonight?"

"No, it was more of the fact that it's so painful knowing that our relationship is like it is," she cried, "We can't be with each other in public like other lovers. I was so jealous of Periwen because it's not at all unusual or wrong that you are with her, but if that were me..." She trailed off as more tears threatened to come.

He held her close and told her, "Everything will turn out fine in the end."

"But how can you be so sure?" she asked. "We can't hide it forever. What will happen if someone finds out? What will happen to us then?"

"We will decide it when it truly becomes an issue we cannot avoid any longer," he replied, "But for now, no one is ready to know."

Raali nodded in response even though she didn't entirely agree. If it made him happy, she would comply and he did promise her earlier that they would eventually tell people. He just did not specify a date or time.

He kissed her tenderly then and she felt the sincerity of his words. Haldir did care for her. Just as he said. But Haldir also cared about himself and his high status. This relationship would be a serious test for him. She desperately hoped it was one he would pass.

"How could you ever think I could ever desire another?" he whispered in her ear as his hands ever so lightly ran across her skin. "No one in the world could bring me such bliss. No one but you, Raali."

Raali smiled.  
She just smiled.

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**A/N: All I can say is that I am so so so sorry. I hope you guys enjoy this! This is the only one of my stories where I actually planned out the ending. I should be updating more frequently now but no promises since I have a hefty workload.**


	18. Raali 18

**Warning: I'd consider this chapter to be kind of ...er...racier than the last few.**

** Also, Moxie, you were dead on. I don't know what I was smoking when I wrote that part in but I removed it and hopefully that makes things better. Thank you so much for correcting me on that! I cringed when reading it and could not help but say "ew! What the hell was I thinking?" Definitely too early...if it even happens at all. ;-) We'll see. **

** Anon: no Raali is not getting pregnant because there are very few writers that can pull that plotline off (read Jo Slater's Just for Tomorrow) and alas, I am not one of them. I also don't agree with a female warrior suddenly having a baby and having to go perform her expected 'female' duties while her career suffers for it. Even though elven society was probably patriarchical (probably less than the men though), I'm not and this is my fic. Raali will continue her military career and have no babies just yet (sorry!).**

** To everyone else who reads and/or reviews, I want to thank you for your support and I would just like to say that I took out the part where he says he loves her since it was way too damn early and just made the story seem a bit lame and hurried. Sorry about that!   
**

* * *

Raali groaned as the wind was knocked out of her. She lay flat on her back, staring up at the tree tops. A gentle breeze gently ruffled them and for a moment she almost forgot where she was. 

Haldir's face suddenly appeared in her view as he casually leaned over her, hands clasped behind his back, bringing her harshly back to reality.

"Are you quite done?" he asked, in an arrogant and impatient tone. "We would all like to lay in the grass as well but now is not the right time." She scowled at him as she heard snickering around her.

She sat up. "Well if you would just stop making me fall, then perhaps I wouldn't spend so much time on the forest floor."

"Ah, but that is a mere product of your lack of concentration," he replied with a slight smirk on his face. "Now get up and try to hit me."

"And if I hit you?" she asked, getting up.

"You won't," he smiled, "Not yet anyway. But just try."

His arrogance angered Raali greatly and she maneuvered a fist to his left side. He dodged it easily and sent her onto the ground once more as he made a simple kick to her shin.

On the ground again, Raali sat up, rubbing her shin. "Can you at least advise me about what I'm doing wrong? I mean, really, isn't this getting a bit boring for you?"

"Not in the least," he said plainly. "I am glad, however, that you finally asked. I was wondering when you would ask for my advice."

"You mean, all I had to do was ask?" she beamed up at him.

"You are learning after all," he sighed. "Alright, get up. I'll show you what you're doing wrong." And so Haldir proceeded to explain to Raali that she was "never in any of the correct stances that I went over with you last week. Were you even paying attention at all?" She was told she was also "still unbearably ill balanced" and need to "seriously work on that or else you will be very unhappy next week."

"Unhappy?" Raali inquired.

"Oh, pardon me, did I say unhappy?" Haldir glanced at her, "Because I meant dead. You will be very dead next week if you do not start taking this seriously."

"I'll start practicing more," she said and then stopped. It was that feeling again. She turned to look at Soras who was staring at her. Was it him that was making her so wary? Whatever that feeling was, it was coming from someone who had much loathing for her. She decided she would go to Lorien's library and find out exactly what it could it be. She couldn't have it distracting her at inappropriate times. As it slowly passed, she turned back to an impatient Haldir.

"Let's try again, shall we?" and so Raali proceeded to keep falling to the ground. Mostly however, because she couldn't concentrate. What was Soras planning? And what was that hideous feeling that she felt? She was so sure it was him causing it! After all, who else could it possibly be? Who else hated her so blatantly?

"Clear your mind, Raali," Haldir said, firmly. "You are not concentrating. Clear your mind and focus on the situation."

Raali nodded, pushing any thoughts not related to the training out of her head.

Suddenly, she saw Haldir's fist coming at her from the side and she dodged it. She dodged it! In fact, she was so happy she dodged it, she had completely forgotten that Haldir had another fist and grimaced in pain as she felt it connect with her jaw.

She fell to the ground in a daze, touching her face to make sure her jaw was still attached to her face. The world seemed to shift under her feet as she pushed herself up and faced him again.

She decided to go into one of the more intricate stances that helped with defense, because frankly she wanted to keep the rest of her limbs and face attached. With grace and speed, Haldir moved to attack from the side, but she skillfully dodged him. And then dodged him again. And then again.

"You are learning," he smiled. "But apparently, not enough."

This made Raali pause, "huh?" and then fly to the ground as she was kicked quite hard in the ribs.

"Come on, get up," he said somewhere above her. Raali groaned and staggered onto her feet.

"That wasn't fair," she said, looking up at him as she held herself around her middle where she was very bruised.

"Do you think an Uruk would know or care about what is fair and what is not," the March Warden spat.

"No," she replied, "but I'd think the March Warden of Lorien would. I seem to be wrong, however."

His eyes narrowed as he drew back into a difficult stance and she prepared for his attack. Right then at that moment, she was determined to hit him. And so she did, but with a price.

As they fought, in a well thought out attack, Raali's fist connected with his stomach. Yet to her surprise, he did not pause or double over as she expected him to. Instead, he took advantage of her surprise and sent her reeling to the ground on her knees, her breath completely knocked out of her as she clutched her stomach in pain.

"Congratulations," he said, slightly out of breath himself. "You managed to hit me. However, if you had moved more of your strength into offensive instead of the defensive, you would have the desired effect of knocking the breath out of me, which you did, to an extent. But it wasn't enough to stop me. Still though, a job well done. We will continue tomorrow."

He tried not to smile as she groaned and collapsed entirely to the ground.

After training, Raali had no choice but to go to the healer's. The bruising was so severe that she could barely get up from the ground and had to be helped by Eland who lectured her relentlessly on what not to do when you're about to be hit.

"Don't tense that part of your body," he preached, "as is customary since it is a natural response but you must learn to relax your body when you are about to be hit. It makes things a lot easier."

"I'll remember that next time his fist collides with my face," Raali snapped.

"If you practice a bit more, perhaps his fist wouldn't even touch your face next time," Merel said.

"Well put, my friend," Eland agreed. "You do have your moments of wisdom." Merel grinned proudly. "Which are often quickly replaced with moments of your stupidity ("Hey!")."

Elvish medicine was and will always continue to be the most advanced and affective in all of Middle Earth. Raali's bruising was minimized to almost nothing in a matter of hours. She was sent home with special herbal tea to help with the rest of the healing.

Merel, Eland, Gael, and Tani brought her dinner and kept her company while she ate.

"I can't believe he beat you like that!" cried Tani. "I mean, to do that to an elleth? And no one even did anything!"

"Raali is a soldier," Eland said, giving Raali a foreboding look. "She will not be given special treatment just because she is an elleth. The enemy does not distinguish who to kill. In fact, as an elleth, Raali should have her training difficulty raised a notch or two above our own. Ellith are often harmed in worse ways than ellonim."

"I agree with Eland," Gael spoke up, ignoring the rolling of eyes by Tani. "As a sentinel and an elleth, I actually requested more rigorous training for myself. I also spent much more time training than my fellow male sentinels."

"Well that shouldn't have been too hard considering sentinel training is very simple," Tani said. "Don't they just teach you how to run?"

"And how would you know about sentinel training?" Gael turning, her eyes flashing. "What would you know about any training? Just because your sisters are soldiers? Well you are not a soldier and will never be one so I suggest you keep your mouth shut about things you know nothing about!"

The room was stunned in silence. The only sounds were the heavy angry breathing of the two ellethim. Letting out a slight hiss, Tani tore herself from her seat and stomped angrily out of the kitchen.

Throwing a scathing look at Gael, Merel said, "I better go talk to her."

The entire time, Raali had her head down and her bottom lip between teeth.. It was a very awkward situation.

"You should not have said that," Eland said quietly. Yet Gael no longer seemed angry and whispered "I know."

"I just can't stand being mocked any longer, Eland," she looked him in the eye. "She never ceases to put her words against me. I had to say something. At least to shut her up for a little while."

"I do not understand Tani's behavior," Raali said, "Was she always like this? This seems unlike her."

"Everyone has their quirks, Raali," Eland explained in a quiet voice. "It was a great shame to her to not be accepted into any brigade."

"But why wasn't she accepted?" Gael asked.

"Nobody really knows," he shrugged. "She never really talked about it and no one wanted to press her. It is still a sensitive subject for her."

"Does her family feel ashamed?" asked Raali.

"By the Valar, no," Eland replied, shaking his head. "They were very supportive, her parents and her sisters, I mean. They encouraged her to follow her other passions. That is why she is a history scholar now."

"Oh Eland, I feel awful!" moaned Gael, her face in her hands. "But I can't bring myself to apologize to her. I just can't!"

"Do not fret," sighed Eland, standing up, "Come, let us go for a walk. You need to clear your head. Raali, feel better, alright?"

Raali smiled and nodded and said her goodbyes as they walked out the door. Clearing the dishes, she wondered how things got this bad between her friends. A pang of guilt struck her. Perhaps if she had been more involved with her friends, this drama would have never unfolded.

'Who am I kidding?' she thought. 'These are city ellith. They use drama to pass the time.'

After bathing and changing into her night gown, she drank the herbal tea given to her by the healers. It tasted wonderful and drew out any tension or pain in her body. She barely made it to her bed and collapsed in sheer relaxation.

The next morning, she felt greatly energized and flung herself out of bed. The wind was blowing in just the right direction, the sun was not too bright through the trees, and the smell of the forest was most delicious. She wondered if it was just the side effects of the herbal tea ("No way! Everything's great!"). She walked to training with a smile on her face, almost skipping along the path.

"Are you alright?" Merel gave her a strange look as she skipped over to him and Eland, and started to stretch.

"Oh, I'm great!" she grinned. "Thank you! Isn't it a beautiful day?"

"...It's a day like any other day, Raali," Eland said slowly, looking at Merel. Merel shrugged and shook his head.

"How is my good friend Tani anyway?" she said with a wide smile. "That elleth is just so great! I mean, just great! Oh and of course, you two are great too!"

"Errm...thanks," Merel said uncomfortably. "Tani is fine. She is feeling better."

"She should feel better!" Raali said, suddenly spinning, "Everyone should feel better because it is a wonderful day! A glorious day! Oh bless Lorien!"

"Raali, did you happen to have any of that special herbal tea last night after we left?" Eland asked.

"Oh the tea!" she said excitedly, jumping up and down. "Oh it was amazing!" They both nodded to each other.

"Shall I go tell the March Warden?" Merel sighed. Eland suddenly stilled. He looked up at Merel.

"Don't bother,"he said. "We'll see how things turn out." Merel could not help giggling as line up was announced.

They had to practically pull Raali over to line up.

"Oh this is my favorite time of the day!" she beamed. "I just love line up!" It wouldn't have been so awkward if she hadn't said it so loud when everyone had quieted down.

Eland could tell Haldir just wanted to ignore it. He watched the March Warden more carefully now. Anyone who held Raali's fragile heart in the palm of his hand had to be carefully monitored. She was his friend, after all, and she was involved with an ellon known for his cunning ways with the ellith.

As Haldir paced down the line, he could not ignore Raali. She stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn't only the dark hair and height that made her different. It was also because she was practically radiating happiness and had an enormous toothy smile plastered on her face as she beamed at him.

"Forgive her, March Warden, she's-," yet Eland was silenced with the rise of the March Warden's hand.

"Make 3 full laps around the training grounds," he said simply. Eland frowned as he took off running and the line shifted to fill the gap.

"The training grounds are just lovely today, don't you think?" she said in an elated tone. "Can I go run too?" And with that, she took off after Eland, partly skipping and running.

There was slight laughter from the line but that was quickly silenced by Haldir.

"Merel," Haldir said in a way that made Merel jump slightly. "Did she drink the healer's tea yesterday?"

"Yes sir," Merel nodded. "She drank it right before she went to sleep, sir."

"I see," Haldir nodded and sighed. "Alright, all with their partners. Merel, stay there until your partner finishes his laps. Opivon, run to the gate and bring me that report. Quickly!"

Breathing in deeply, he set off at a quick pace after Raali. She was not running considerably fast (mostly skipping anyways) and was quite easy to catch up to. He pulled her aside and into a denser part of the forest where they would not be seen.

"Oh Haldir," she sighed dreamily as she practically collapsed into his arms. "Isn't everything wonderful?"

"Yes Raali everything is wonderful," he said calmly as he held her up. "But now is the time for training."

"Oh but I can't train," Raali said hopelessly and then whispered in his ear. "I'd rather make passionate love to you right here."

Haldir was not phased. "Raali, the side effects should only last for a bit longer and it is only the beginning of training. You can sweat it out perhaps." A smile played on his lips but then quickly faded as her hand slid under his tunic and into his leggings. With frustration, he grasped her wrist and pulled her hand out from his leggings.

"I'm sure you can find better ways to get the sunshine out of me," she said lustily. "Let's do it Haldir! In front of everyone! Right there on the grass, in the happy sun! Come on!" She pushed away from him and started to untie her tunic.

Swiftly, he tied up what she had untied and pushed her up against a tree. "Raali, I demand that you behave yourself this instant."

"Oh you demand," she purred. "I love it when you're dominant!"

"Didn't they warn you not to drink it before you go to sleep?" he asked her. He sighed and then started to pull her along back onto the training grounds. Several times, she had simply lain down on the grass and cried out that she wanted to sleep, but he would not let her.

When they got back into the main part of the training grounds, Soras came jogging up.

"She's a right bloody pain in the arse, Haldir," Soras said, brushing the sweat from his brow. "I don't how you put up with her."

"The Lady insisted that she be in my brigade and that I train her myself," Haldir said, looking down at her as she pointed out shapes in the tree tops.

"I do not question the Lady's judgement," Soras said, "though I truly feel bad for you, friend, for having to deal with her. Why don't you let me train with her for a bit? Give you a rest?"

Haldir smirked. "Thank you, Soras. Perhaps when I have trained her a bit more. I wouldn't know how to explain to the Lord and Lady why there was a bloody stain in the grass instead of an elleth." Both laughed wholeheartedly, neither realizing that someone was listening.

Eland punched Merel rather hard in the face by accident as he heard Haldir's words and then gasped and ran to Merel's side.

"Eland!" cried Merel, who was bleeding from the nose. "I thought we agreed on light punches."

"Yes, I'm sorry, friend," Eland sighed. "My thoughts wandered elsewhere. Forgive me."

"No problem," said Merel, spitting some blood out of his mouth.

An hour later, Raali was slowly starting to return to normal. When Haldir asked her how she was after what seemed like the millionth time, instead of answering, "Oh I'm just great!" she answered "For Valar's sake, I'm fine! Stop asking me!"

And so training was continued. Yet by the end of the training, Raali had a much less significant amount of bruising. This was mostly due to the fact that near the end, she had gotten quite tired of being hit and/or falling to the ground and started to use a very dirty tactic. A very very dirty tactic.

Naughty, explicit acts filled his mind so that he could hardly think and she attacked him with all her might. He got in a few good blows and eventually won anyway but overall, she was in much less pain and he certainly did not hit her as hard as before. Raali walked away from the training grounds that night with a mischievous grin on her face and a bounce in her step.

Today really was a good day after all.

After dinner, she walked home towards her talan with a sad smile on her face. Her and Haldir's relationship had been quite strained for the past few days. He had started to act like he hated her again and truthfully, she didn't think she could handle the loss of him. Haldir had become home to her. It would be like losing her home a second time. She had been warned about him, of course. But she thought she knew him better than everyone else did. She hoped that she was right.

Climbing up the steps of her talan, she flung the door open and stepped inside the darkness. Lighting a lamp, she set it down as she took a seat outside on the balcony. She simply could not get over this sudden depressive state. Eland had overheard Haldir say certain things about her with Soras but she assured him that he was only saying them because he was not ready to tell his friends about their relationship.

"You know, if he keeps pretending that he hates you in front of everyone," Eland said angrily and quietly so as not the attract the attention of Merel and Tani, "it will be much more difficult to proclaim your relationship."

"I know," Raali had sighed. "But Haldir thinks he knows best. And besides, I'm in love with him."

"I see," Eland said, "And does he love you?"

Raali swallowed hard. "Um...well he has never mentioned it, but he does care about me and he does have feelings for me."

"So you are risking your happy and comfortable life for someone who may not even return your love," he said in exasperation. "Raali, you have got to sort out your priorities. Love isn't everything."

"How can you say that?" she had cried. "Don't you love Gael?"

"Of course I do!" Eland said. "But Gael is a soldier like me. Gael is at the same stature as me. If I loved Gael but could not be seen with her in public, I would let her go and let her find someone of her own social standing to love and respect so as to save her from any ridicule or shame that she might face."

"As well as preserving your own well-earned title," Raali mumbled.

"Exactly!" Eland exclaimed softly. "Do you see? Do you understand?"

"Yes,"she had answered solemnly, "but I do not accept."

Yawning she walked to the bedroom and set the lamp down on her dresser. It bathed the room in a soft warm golden light.

A cool breeze blew several strands of hair out of her eyes. She gently undid her braid and let the dark waves of hair cascade down her back. Her hand stilled suddenly.

She had specifically closed the window when she had bathed and changed for dinner. But who had opened it?

As if by response, two strong hands grabbed her and pushed her down onto the bed. She gazed into the face of Haldir. He had a small smile on his lips, yet his eyes were very cold. She could not help but smile. She knew he would come back and she was glad that he was in this kind of mood. She had guessed that he had enjoyed her 'skills' during training. Her smile drew back as she asked innocently, "But what will you do, March Warden?"

She was answered by elvish rope being wrapped around one wrist to one column of her canopy bed and then the other wrist to the other column. She tugged on it, but it did not let up.

"Ah yes," Raali mused out loud. "Only the person who tied the knot can undo it. How silly of me."

Yet Haldir continued to keep quiet. He tied each ankle tightly to the adjacent columns and then sat between her straightened legs. The March Warden reached over her and retrieved a black strip of cloth which he gently tied behind her head, covering her eyes. He leaned his head down to kiss up her neck, sucking hard on certain places and leaving dark bruises behind. She gasped at the sensations that coursed through her body and arched her back as he bit down hard at one point, barely breaking the skin. Still he said nothing as he chuckled low.

She smiled slowly despite the obvious feeling of uncertainty that was apparent on her face.

"What-?" she was cut off as he pressed a finger to her mouth to silence her and then another black strip of cloth retrieved and he tied it tightly around her mouth so.

The window was open, after all. She moaned softly against the cloth, her wrists still gently tugging at the ropes.

She was in a silver and blue gown that only revealed her shoulders, hands, and feet. Yet with a few quick swipes with his dagger, the March Warden had managed to dispose of everything that she was wearing, including her undergarments. Gasping in surprise (or making a gasping-like noise through the cloth anyway), Raali was a bit shaken as she suddenly felt a gentle breeze caress her body and she felt Haldir lift himself off of her and off of the bed.

Her questions were muffled by the cloth, but she could sense him next to her. She heard him pull up a chair. Was he just going to watch her? Perhaps he was trying something new in the bedroom. Raali was always open to new ideas but this one was starting to be a bit dull.

Yet she took back that thought as he sent a tantalizing image of herself riding him in the midst of their passion. Her giggles were muffled through the cloth. This wasn't so bad after all. Yet there more and more images were sent to her and by the end of the hour, she had started breathing considerably harder.

She could sense him next to her, beside the bed and she could feel his eyes on her, watching her as she faced his assault. Yet she was determined to fight him off anyway she could. He had made this especially difficult because there was nothing else to preoccupy her mind. She had been blindfolded and gagged and this night was especially quiet.

There was a pause in the images and she had thought that he was done, allowing herself to relax slightly. Yet she felt herself tense as he ran a teasing finger down her arm and continued with the flood of images. Yet this was quite different, he had slowed down the images in his mind significantly so that each image lingered much longer in her mind.

By the end of the second hour, she had started to writhe and moan. It was exquisite torture.

He was silent. The only thing that she could hear was her own muffled sounds and her heavy breathing.

Yet soon, it began to reach a fever pitch and she struggled against her restraints, hoping for some kind of relief. If only he would touch her just a little...

But as far as she could tell, he hadn't moved and was merely watching her. Try as she might, she could not block the images, the sensations and could not keep still or quiet. She wanted so badly to touch him and to have him touch her, just like in the images. For a moment, she could almost feel him inside of her and then that moment would be gone and there would be nothing.

He finally spoke.

"How does it feel?"

Raali replied with a desperate moan, tugging at the ropes.

"Imagine trying to fight someone when I do this to you," he said softly. "Imagine trying to do anything that involves concentration while I send these thoughts to you."

There was a pause.

"I can see just how well you would handle a situation like that," his voice was filled with empathy.

"Have you had enough?" he asked, leaning closer so that his lips barely touched the skin on her neck. Raali nodded.

She heard him laugh. "I don't think you've had enough just yet."

Raali groaned in frustration and continued trying to pull herself free even if she knew it was no use.

Yet instead of images, Haldir proceeded to slowly trace his fingers on her body, making her shiver helplessly. His hands caressed her body, making sure not to linger on any part for too long and continuing in their merciless teasing. At one point, when his hand stayed too long in one place, she had arched her back and moaned in pleasure and to her dismay and utter disappointment, he removed his hand and continued on. When he knew she was at the brink, he slowly undid her binds and let her sit up.

When she took off her blindfold, the deep lust in her eyes almost made him stray from his cool demeanor. He kissed her on the cheek and patted her head.

"You did well," he smiled and started to leave when suddenly he was pulled back with an astounding force back onto the bed.

"If you ever try to leave again," Raali growled, her body pinning him to the bed, "I'll kill you."

Haldir smirked with amusement but the look in her eyes meant business.

She started to practically tear at the clothes on his body and though he knew he should not allow this to occur, he wanted it just as badly as she did. He could not deny her and he knew in the end that would be his downfall. This lovely dark haired creature who was tugging his tights down and off his body.

She was the one in charge tonight and he knew this as he melted inside her.

* * *

He was gone the next morning when she awoke and the only trace of him ever being there were the ropes and his dried essence on the sheets.

Dammit. She would have to do laundry again this week.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry to update so late. Exams have ended and it is the beginning of summer break for me. I'm sorry to keep people waiting but here it is! I hope it wasn't 'too much.' Enjoy!  
**


	19. Raali 19

"Have you packed yet?"

"I hate leaving."

"Well we'll only be there a week or two."

"Why does it have to be now? My wife is expecting and..."

Raali walked past the rush of voices and walked to her friends. She glanced around for Haldir but did not see him. She did not know how their relationship was faring at the moment. Their night spent together was indeed unforgettable and he had held her afterwards until she fell asleep. And then he left. Just like that. She knew it was because he did not want anyone to see him leaving her talan, but she could not help but feel affected by it.

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Raali?" Merel asked her as she approached.

"Not at all," she sighed. "I'm a bit nervous about it."

"Everyone is nervous about their first time on the border," Eland smiled reassuringly. "Merel and I certainly were."

"On my first time, I urinated on a sleeping Uruk by accident," Merel laughed. Raali and Eland laughed as well.

"How did that happen!" Raali giggled.

"He was always shy about peeing in front of others," Eland smiled, "so he went a bit too far. An hour later, he comes running back with a pack of Uruks trailing him, with his tights untied no less."

"Yes, I was very glad at that moment that there were no ellith in the brigade," Merel said. Raali laughed and then a feeling of dread settled inside her.

"Oh my," she said. "This...this also means that I will have to-to bathe...with you...I mean with everyone...I mean with all the edhels."

"Raali, it's not like we haven't seen nude elleths before," Merel said, trying to be helpful but failing.

"Yes, but you haven't seen THIS elleth nude before!" Raali exclaimed, suddenly panicking. "By the Valar, I don't want to expose myself in front of everyone! I would much rather not bathe at all! I mean, how dirty can one get?"

"How dirty can one get?" Eland cocked an eyebrow. "I guarantee you that after the first two days you will be caked in dirt, sweat, and goodness knows what else. You will be pleading for a bath."

The call for line up sounded and the day continued with the brigade being split into two groups, those who needed extra training for the border and those who did not. Haldir was nowhere to be seen and Raali was not sure if it was because he was not here for training or because he was avoiding her. Her paranoia told her the latter but she struggled to believe it was the former. She wanted so much to see him and hold him once more, to talk to him in a civilized manner.

Raali and others in her group trained until dusk that night. Though they were exhausted, they practiced their stances and movements for hours on end until almost complete perfection. Raali wiped the sweat from her brow and swung around, her sword slicing through the air as her body turned and twisted in the stances.

When their instructor told them to go home and pack, Raali collapsed to the ground and looked up at the darkening sky. Everything had been happening so fast. This kind of drama never occurred in the village. No one had enough time concentrate on such petty things like name calling or "love."

'How Nana would laugh,' Raali thought. 'She would laugh and laugh. She would tell me that I have become a city elf.'

Most all Raali knew her mother would laugh at her about her feelings for Haldir. Such feelings were only talked about in stories of old. And though laughing at herself, Raali's mind was still settled on Haldir. His actions still plagued her. His coldness and distance hurt her more than anything and she wanted so badly to discuss it with him.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she lay alone in the field. She could still remember a time when he had been so exhausted that he had fallen asleep before her during sunset. The light had bathed his skin gold and his hair, usually very neat, had been slightly disheveled and spread along the pillow. The golden light caressed his skin in a tantalizing way that had made her reach out and touch him. With closed eyes, he had smiled and grabbed her hand, kissing it, and pulling her closer...

She missed him terribly.

* * *

The March Warden leaned back in the bathtub full of steaming hot water. It had been a long day and he had to ride around Lorien filing paper work and pouring over maps and supplies and weaponry. It was the usual procedure and he was rather used to it, but it was still rather tedious and stress-filled. He had left Raali after she had fallen asleep in his arms and though he sincerely wished he could have stayed, he knew he could not. He missed holding her small form in his arms, of feeling her skin against his, of their endearing conversations. With her, everything was different. He yearned for her at that moment.

* * *

"End it, Raali," Eland gritted his teeth. "End it before you get even more hurt and this entire thing blows up in your face. Which it will, I have no doubt about that. It will if you continue on like this. Don't you see how he's using you?" 

"Every couple has their unhappy times," Raali murmured, taking a sip of hot tea.

"Yes, but that unhappy time usually occurs later on in the relationship," said Eland as he stared at her angrily. "Not at the very beginning and continuing on. Break it off now and you may still have some dignity left."

"Dignity," Raali laughed unhappily, "What dignity do I have left? My dignity was stolen from me the first time I set foot in fair, cold Lothlorien."

"Dignity," she scoffed.

Eland looked at her as if he would cry and she reached over to hold his hand. He pulled his hand back and looked at her with a sad expression.

"I'm not angry with you, Raali," Eland said, "It's just, you're-you're miserable! He's breaking you and I've seen him do this before and-and I don't want to see you fade because of his temporary interest in you."

"Eland, I'm a grown elf," Raali smiled. "I can take care of myself. I am stronger than you think."

"I know," Eland said, his voice shaking, "I know you are but-."

"But nothing," Raali interjected and then sighed. "I am so honored to have a friend like you who cares so deeply. Never in my life would I have thought that anyone would ever care this much about me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. But you need to know that when it comes to matters like these, I...I need time to think."

Eland nodded. "No matter," he said, his fingers clasped on the table and his eyes meeting with hers. "You can do what you want, but just know, I will always be there to pick up the pieces."

And with that, he took her hand and kissed it, and then left her talan with a quiet goodnight.

Raali sat with her tea, deep in thought. Had what Eland said been true? Was she just a temporary distraction? And what did he mean when said he had seen Haldir do this before?

As she packed and climbed into bed, she relished the softness of it because she knew that no such comfort would be there on the border (or so she had been told). Moving pillows around her, she pretended that Haldir was there next to her and that was the only way she could fall asleep.

* * *

The lone figure stood watching the brigade, ready to set out for the border. Raali stood off to the side with Merel and Eland and they spoke fervently about something. 

'It does not matter,' the figure thought, 'You will be out of my way soon.' The cloaked figure knew Raali could sense the anger that emanated. Soon she would feel that anger from the very source.

* * *

"Of course I brought extra food, why wouldn't I?" Raali defended herself. 

"Raali, you're not supposed to!" Merel and Eland said at the same time.

"But why?" she asked, looking to each for a response.

"Because we're supposed to travel lightly," Merel explained. "You also might reconsider bringing that pot with you."

"This is ridiculous!" Raali exclaimed. "So I am expected to starve and what little I eat has to be uncooked?"

"That's what lembas is for, love," Eland snickered.

"Great...,"muttered Raali.

The three watched as Tani and Gael approached from different directions. When they saw each other, each raised their noses at one another and stood on opposite sides.

"Tani, would you please take back the extra food and pot that I am supposedly not supposed to bring back to my talan?" Raali asked.

"Of course, darling," Tani smiled warmly.

Gael and Eland walked off, hand in hand, talking quietly and intimately between one another. Raali felt a pang of jealousy. She knew if her and Haldir had been public, she could be with him even during border duty. Yet she shook herself out of those thoughts and continued to talk with Merel and Tani.

Soon a horn was sounded and everyone hugged and kissed each other, issuing their farewells as the brigade set off with another unit towards the border. They would be relieving the units currently on border patrol soon and everyone knew they would certainly be happy to be leaving the border.

A few elves rode on white horses but the majority was on foot, traveling swiftly and lightly, not making a single noise even as they stepped on twigs and branches. Silently, they moved through the forest as their people have learned to do and have done ever since the first elf and the first tree were acquainted.

Raali relished in the rush of emotions. She felt part of a powerful force and that gave her strength and courage. She now understood what she had been taught. She now understood the mindless hours of training. It was all necessary for this moment. Like a great soundless river, the flow of soldiers stemmed on through the forest, each moving with stealth and grace.

Raali spied Haldir ahead, riding quick and noble on his horse. His silver hair was immaculate and hung down in a mixture of straight hair and warrior braids. She longed to see that hair spill around her, enveloping her, loose and shimmering. For a moment, he turned his head slightly, as if sensing what she had been thinking but then turned back to stare ahead.

It took them a full day to reach the border and when they did, they were greeted by the elves going home. Raali had stopped among the confusion. This had been the spot where she had been brought to when they had taken her prisoner. She shuddered and did not hear as Merel and Eland asked her what was wrong. A sudden pain took her and she doubled over.

What the hell was going on?

Tears poured freely down her face and she sunk her fingers deep within her hair and into the warmth of her scalp. She could still remember how afraid she had been, how cruel everyone had been, how she had almost died. She couldn't stop these thoughts from swirling in her head and that familiar sense of dread and uneasiness filled her. She felt herself being pulled up and carried away, up into talan and onto a cot.

"Raali," Eland shifted her head to look at him. "What's wrong? Raali!"

Everything had started to spin and she had turned forcefully away from Eland and vomited over the side of the cot. Breathing hard, she struggled to regain herself.

"I'm alright, "she whispered to herself, "I'm alright."

"Merel leave," Eland said suddenly, not even turning to look at his friend.

"But...," Merel started but decided against arguing. He could sense something was not right and in truth, he usually left these situations to Eland. He knew how to deal with them best.

Eland, on the other hand, could sense those approaching the talan and knew that Merel did not need to be here to hear the words that would soon be said. People often underestimated Eland because of his quiet nature, yet Eland was more powerful than many would be led to believe.

In front of him, Raali cried quietly, gripping the pillow under her head and soon she was asleep in a dreamless sleep as Eland passed a hand over her. She needed rest. And she too didn't need to hear what would soon have to be said. Not yet anyway.

The March Warden stood beside him now, in silence. They both watched her.

"Leave her," Eland's voice rasped against the tension.

Though taken back by the other elf's bluntness, Haldir hid his surprise well. His cold expression and demeanor would stay as strong as ever, even as he longed to reach over and cradle the sleeping elleth on the cot.

"I cannot," Haldir answered.

"Cannot or will not?" Eland's equally icy gaze turned towards him.

"It is none of your business," Haldir growled.

"On the contrary, it is very much my business," Eland snapped back, turning to face the March Warden, "I have no wish to see one of my best friends fade just because of your selfish desires. If you really cared for her, you would release her but it is easy to see that you do not. You pretend to be her everything but when it comes down to it, you'd throw her away in an instant. Just imagine, March Warden, when Periwen starts asking for binding. Yes, I do know about that and have spared Raali the details. Or what if people find out about the two of you. What a scandal! Save her from that! Leave her. Release her so that she can be with someone of her own rank. So that she can be happy!"

"You know nothing," Haldir's face darkened with anger. "I do not force Raali to be with me. She stays with me because she cares for me as I do for her. If she wants to leave me, it will be her choice and as of yet, she has not wanted to do so."

"Ah but that is because you so heavily influence her," Eland remarked, a smirk on his face. "You do have the reputation for being good in the bedroom and for tainting the innocent. You know that only you can determine her future. It lies in the palm of your hand. So why don't you spare her a painful death? Give her the chance to live. Don't let her be another Forialyn."

With the mention of that name, Haldir's breath caught in his throat.

"You do remember her don't you?" a cold smile played on Eland's face. "A story so similar to Raali's? Did you ever tell Raali about her?"

There was silence.

"I thought not," he continued. "Yes, a sweet innocent elleth who you persuaded into bed suddenly falls in love with you. You reject her and she fades. Everyone knew what happened but no one spoke of it. Because you're the highest ranking March Warden. Because you can kill a thousand orcs so people assume that if you kill an elleth or two it won't make a diff-."

Eland staggered backwards, holding his jaw. Blood dripped out of his mouth and down his chin. Haldir stood over him, breathing heavily.

"Raali," Haldir said, seething, "is different. Forialyn and I shared a drunken night together but nothing after that and from that, she assumed that we should bind. Periwen means nothing to me and Raali is the only significant person in my life right now. You delve far too deep into my personal life, Eland of fools, but I tell you this now. Do not get between her and I. You will regret it."

"You dig your hole deeper and deeper, March Warden," Eland said, spitting blood onto the floor. "Soon you will find that you will not be able to climb out and you will drown in your own arrogance and lies. But I will not allow you to take Raali with you. I will tell her everything when she awakens!"

Haldir grabbed the front of Eland's uniform, dragging him up.

"You will do no such thing," he said, in a low deadly voice and then dropped Eland back onto the floor, stepping over him and walking to Raali. "I will tell her myself when I feel it is right. Now leave. I will see to her healing."

Eland looked from Raali to Haldir as he stood and left silently, climbing down and the ladder. He had managed to wipe most of the blood away but as he walked towards Merel, he saw his expression change drastically.

"By the Valar, Eland!" Merel cried out, "What happened? What happened to your face?"

"I'm fine," muttered Eland, and proceeded to heal himself. "I just...fell."

Merel arched an eyebrow. "Well when you're ready to tell me the truth, I really would like to hear it."

Eland had to smile at that. Sometimes, Merel was much smarter than he proved...sometimes.

"I will, Merel," he laughed bitterly. "You'll be the first person I tell."

Up in the talan, the March Warden had moved Raali's hair from her face and was now gently caressing her cheek. He knew that was one of the only two ways she actually liked being woken up. The other way was not appropriate at the moment.

Her eyelashes fluttered open and her eyes settled on him. Taking in a shuddering breath, she wrapped her arms around him and he held her securely, protecting her momentarily from all of her fears. She cried against him as he pulled her closer and buried her face in his neck, inhaling his familiar scent. To her, he was the epitome of home.

"I remembered everything," she cried. And at that moment, Haldir felt guilt rush onto him. He knew he had been unnecessarily cruel and he knew he was what caused most of her pain. And it hurt him even more to think that at this moment, though she knew what he had done, she still clung to him for comfort and security. It made him hold her even closer, as if to reassure her that it would never happen again. That next time, it would be different. That next time, he would be there to hold her and protect her.

Wordlessly, he made a dozen empty promises that he knew he couldn't keep.

But it brought him consolation when he assured himself that he would try. He would try his best.

"Forget the past, Raali," he whispered, tilting her head up, forcing their eyes to meet, "You are here now with me. You are a soldier. You are strong and powerful and people are starting to accept you. I am very proud of all your accomplishments and I.." He paused.

"You what?" Raali looked into his eyes, searching for what she had hoped he would say.

"I just..." He held her hand, squeezing it lightly.

"You what, Haldir?"

"I just hope you feel better." He kissed her hand and then left as quickly as he could, wanting to forget her confused and hopeful face as she watched him leave.

* * *

She looked down at the ground, her bow constantly at the ready as she sat at the window of a talan, her eyes taking in everyone and everything. Merel and Eland had been assigned positions at a different talan and so she was stuck with edhels that she normally did not communicate with. Though they were friendly enough, Raali was still very cautious. She did not know if they were actually Soras' friends and were playing with her. She knew she shouldn't have let that affect any of her choices of friendship but she could not help being wary. 

For the day, the only commotion that was stirred was when there were some royalty from Rivendell who came to visit the Lady. All paths were cleared for them and distinct calls were made so that those brigades further away from the border could know who was coming.

That night, everyone took turns staying on watch for the night and Raali decided that staying on the border was not as bad as she supposed.

And as the sunlight was slowly drained from the forest, she hoped it would always stay this quiet.

* * *

**A/N: Hello darlings! Thank you for all of your reviews! I'm glad people are liking the story. ** **Though I am quite aware that many of my readers don't review, thankfully the hit counter lets me know how many people have read my story and I must say that I am very pleased that so many people are reading it! I hope they are enjoying it as well (would be even nicer if they reviewed but I'm not pleading).**

** Truthfully, this Haldir is basically all the boys that I have ever known in my life put into one sexy elf. I find that he has a childish/immature side as well as a serious side that elves normally have. But he also has a cold, hard outer shell that protects the real sensitive person that he is. I find that in order to hide their true feelings, males often feel like they have to act tough on the outside because society so condemns any form of emotion or sensitivity coming from them and view it as feminine, thus immensely separating gender roles. Women of course are demure and fragile, emotional and sweet. Men are strong, tough, practical, rational. So, I rather like this Haldir and have decided to keep him. To me, he represents the breaking of a common stereotype of males. They're sensitive too dammit!  
**

**And yes, elves can die of a broken heart but Raali's heart hasn't exactly been broken since Haldir has not rejected her completely (just in public). Besides, she's a strong elf. If she didn't fade after knowing her village was massacred by orcs and her mother brutally murdered and after finding out that her brother had become mentally insane and killed a bunch of other elves, I don't find it likely that she's going to fade over a broken heart...well maybe just a little...meh nevermind we'll just see what my twisted mind will come up with. **

** Last Temptation of Homer: I don't necessarily know what a fan girl is but I doubt I am one of them. True, one Lord of the Rings poster hangs in my dormitory (one dammit! one!) but I can't say that I am obsessed with this. Sure I like lord of the rings books and movies and writing the fan fiction (which I rarely even have time for) but I would never really call myself a "fan girl" of anything really. Perhaps I misunderstood the term? Thank you for clearing up the stance of Haldir's status in the hierarchy of the military of Lorien and I sincerely wish you had 1. said it in a nicer way (I am assuming the term "fan girl" was used as an accusatory insult?) and 2. read my story earlier so that I could have made the necessary changes. Unfortunately, it's too late now and I'm far too lazy to go back and change everything so I'll leave it as it is and people who get angry over the status of Haldir can discretely change it in the safety of their own minds. Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you found it interesting. **


	20. Raali 20

She awoke as soon as the piercing shriek tore through the peaceful quiet and sat up quickly only to be pulled along moments later into the trees. She looked up and saw the rest of the brigade moving swift and silent along the branches, equipped and ready for battle. She herself moved along but not as quickly as the others. She was, after all, new to moving along the branches and though she had excelled at keeping silent, she was still among the slowest.

Suddenly, everyone stilled and looked down. Hawk-eyes watched the band of Uruk-hai as they tread cautiously through the forest. Their surviving comrades had told them of the tales of how the elves lived in the trees and killed without making even a single sound or motion. Several sneered as they made cuts in the trees, trying to entice the elves to come out of hiding because who else but the elves heard the cries of trees?

There was sixty of them and they roared as a dark wave of arrows was fired upon them and the sharp swords of the Galadhrim pierced their flesh. Bloodshed and chaos ensued and the cries of injured soldiers, Uruks, and trees rang shrill in Raali's ears. She had released several arrows, two of which killed on the spot and when they motioned for a full attack, she withdrew her sword and conjured up as much courage as she could and descended down the tree and into the crowd of fighters. Her training helped her move fast and dodge yet in the bloodlust she had forgotten that she was barely an intermediate in war.

And as the blade sliced across her arm, she could not help but cry out and drop her weapon. Blood ran down in what seemed like torrents and the earth spun. She clutched at the wound, trying to cut off the blood flow but it never ceased to still. And in the midst of battle, Raali slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Raali," a distant voice called her name and she slowly opened up her bleary eyes. The brigade's two healers and Eland were standing over her. She felt a flicker of regret that Haldir was not there beside her but she knew he was probably still at the border front, securing everything and filling out paper work after the attack. Her senses were instantly regained and she felt no pain in her arm though it had a terrible looking scar on it.

"Fret not," smiled one of the healers, "That will disappear within a matter of days."

"But you have lost a large quantity of blood, "the other healer continued. "And must remain in bed for the rest of the day. We gave you a bit of herbs to help replenish what you have lost yet they will take a day to rise to full effect. In this time, please avoid strenuous activity."

"Yes, we really did have a heck of a time trying to stop the bleeding, you know," the other healer giggled yet upon recieving a smirk from the other he quickly stopped and they both left the room. Eland followed soon after, allowing her to rest, but returned early next morning.

"Your first battle wound," Eland said, looking at the scar. "I must say, I am proud."

Raali could not help but laugh. "Well thank you," she smiled. "Though, I was hoping not to get hurt my first time."

"You fought well, Raali," Eland grabbed her hand suddenly. "You fought really well. You were being watched out for in battle and everyone could see that you could hold your own. You did very well. It was our fault that you got hurt, not yours."

Raali looked at him, speechless. "W-what?"

"Well the beginners always get sent out the first time and they're expected to fight well but we're supposed to protect them from any serious harm," he paused and then exploded. "Oh Raali, I'm sorry! I was supposed to be watching you but you looked like you were doing fine. You were moving and dodging so fast that I could hardly keep up with you. You really have gained much from your training."

Raali smiled slightly. "Thank you. I...I was frightened at first and then...then I felt this surge of energy. I can't believe I actually fought in a real battle. It was surreal."

"Yes, I'm sure it was," he said. "But please be more careful from now on. You did well dodging but you were moving as if you expected them to just stand there and let themselves be killed. Do not be arrogant. That is the worst mistake any elven soldier can make. No one is above death in battle, not even the most skilled of warriors."

"I'll do well to remember that Eland," she said and then crinkled her nose in disgust. "I smell awful."

"Yes,"Eland smiled. "You do. I actually came to take you down to the river. Merel is already there. Half the brigade is there now. The others will go later. We go every three days for food and bathing."

She wanted to ask him when it was that Haldir bathed for she very much desired to see him bare but she knew asking him this was out of the question. Merel had told her that Eland and Haldir had a terrible argument after she had had her episode on the first day and Eland had walked out with blood on his face.

This news had made Raali angry and when she had tried to ask Eland what the fight had been about he had merely snapped at her and told her to ask her 'lover.' She never dared to ask him again and instead wanted to ask Haldir. But Haldir was always busy. Always out of reach.

Sighing, she turned to Eland, "I will go. If I let myself simmer any longer, I fear that I will smell even worse."

Eland helped her stand and together they walked to the river, with several rest stops along the way. Thankfully, she remembered to pack an extra uniform and decided to wash this one while she was in the water. It reeked and was covered with sweat, blood, and other mysterious disgusting stains.

When they came to the river, she looked around at all of the naked edhels, swimming, bathing, joking, and laughing. She was surprised that no one paid any attention to her even as she dropped her pack and took out her oils, wash cloth, and drying cloth. She did all this very slowly and watched as Eland and several other edhels stripped and ran into the river, happily letting the water wash over them.

Eland had seen that she had paused and called to her, "Watching the water isn't going to get you or your uniform clean, Raali."

Swallowing her pride, Raali slowly first peeled off the arm of the uniform and then proceeded to practically tear it off and ran into the water at top speed. She dived in and surfaced, making sure that she was at neck level. She turned to see Eland and Merel with smiles on their faces and they swam over to her.

"Have you ever gone swimming with this many naked edhels before, Raali?" Merel grinned.

Raali rolled her eyes. "Oh, all the time of course. It's a favorite past time of mine."

She swam to the bank and retrieved her oils, soaps, and wash cloth and then swam back. Lathering her hair, she proceeded to talk to the two naked edhels as they too bathed in the river. Soon, she was comfortable enough to stand waist deep in the water, her breasts clearly visible, and though several edhels stared (Merel and Eland certainly did look at first), they soon became distracted by something else and everything remained relatively normal.

The sun shone down and Raali smiled as the smell of her had drastically improved. Climbing out of the water, she took her time in drying herself off and then pulled on a clean uniform. She had washed the old one and had brought it with her so that she could hang it in her stationed talan.

* * *

Meal time was situated similarly, with half the brigade keeping watch and the other half eating. Raali, Merel, and Eland were joined by several elves that Eland and Raali had become friends with. Merel was unfortunately situated with Soras and could not help but express how he was not exactly having a pleasant time on watch.

Raali nudged him as his face sank closer to his dinner. He woke with a start, accidentally elbowing Eland and making him spill juice on himself. Eland hissed in frustration but did not react too badly.

"Oh I'm sorry," muttered Merel, his hands running through his hair. "I'm just so tired. They won't let me sleep!"

"Why don't you say something to one of the captains?" asked Raali. "It's really unfair and it could affect you in battle. You don't want to fall asleep at the wrong time."

"I know," he sighed. "I'll talk to them. I guess I have no choice."

Raali rubbed Merel's back, comforting him but then stopped as her eyes set on the March Warden. She pulled her hand back and sat up higher to get a better look at him. He looked as if he was in good cheer. He was sitting with Soras and several others from his crowd of friends and they were drinking wine and laughing. She wondered momentarily if he was thinking of her, if he had missed her, if he had been worried for her when he heard she had been wounded.

It hurt badly to think that he had not even been there to see if she was alright. It hurt her even more to think that she was more in love with him than she ever was and he only seemed to ignore her even more.

She felt a kick at her feet and her eyes turned to look at Eland, who was looking at her in a very disapproving way.

He motioned for her to get up and together they left the earshot of Merel and their friends.

"You miss him," he said, in a matter-of-fact tone. "You wish to see him once more."

"Is that so wrong?" Raali asked, her voice cracking.

"How do you know if he will accept your presence?" Eland asked and cringed inwardly as he was a tear slide down her face.

"Why wouldn't he?" she asked, in a hushed tone.

Eland looked at her and sighed. "You will only end up hurting yourself."

"It'll be worse if I don't see him," she said. "Tonight, I will go when others are on watch. I must speak with him."

"What will you say?"

"I don't know just yet," Raali bit her lip and looked towards the direction of Haldir. "But I'm sure it will come to me when I look upon him."

Eland said in a quiet voice, "If Gael was here, it would be hard for me to concentrate on my duties. Perhaps he is trying to avoid you so that he can do his job."

"I suppose," Raali said, "But you wouldn't avoid her all the time, would you?"

"Your situation is slightly different," Eland chuckled. "He avoids you anyway."

"He doesn't avoid me!" her voice rose and then quieted. "He's just not ready to reveal our relationship to anyone."

"Oh stop fooling yourself Raali!" he suddenly burst out. "Don't you think that if you were actually important in his life, that he would at least try to see you more, to incorporate you into his life? He does none of those things! He just drags you along and you so willingly submit it's almost disgusting." He breathed in and closed his eyes. "You're my friend and it hurts me that you are being treated this way and you do nothing about it."

He walked away from her, unable to stand the shock and hurt in her eyes any longer.

She leaned her forehead against a tree and breathed in the sweet scent of the forest as tears slipped past her closed eyelids. She swiped at her eyes with the back of her wrist and decided that she would see Haldir tonight. She wanted so badly to be held by him, to feel his presence. She wanted the comfort that only he could bring.

She did not return to her dinner but instead went straight to duty and relieved the elf currently on guard. This would buy her more time with Haldir before her next turn for duty. The night went on until the next soldier went on guard and she excused herself and walked solemnly to the talan that the Marchwarden was in.

But he wasn't there.

She felt a strange shiver run down her spine as the other officer told her that the Marchwarden was looking over maps with a few of the other soldiers in a talan several trees to the right of the one she was currently standing in.

Of course, it had to be the talan that Soras was stationed in, she was only thankful that Merel would be there.

But as she climbed up the ladder, she did not see Merel on her way up and instead just saw the Marchwarden and a few other soldiers, looking over maps, but also laughing and joking. The laughter stopped as they saw her and she noticed that Haldir's eyes became cold.

"Is there something you want?" Soras asked spitefully.

"I wish to speak to the Marchwarden over an issue concerning the previous attack," she said quickly.

"Ah yes, you were wounded," one of the other soldiers sneered. Raali sneered back and then watched as Haldir excused himself rather stiffly and disappeared down the ladder. She followed soon after.

He continued to walk away from the ladder and continued on, allowing her to trail behind him. They walked silently through the forest, past trees and talans. He seemed to be walking forever, until they reached a talan, and he swiftly climbed up, disappearing from her view. She followed him and pulled herself up as quickly as she could. Truth be told, she was still not accustomed to the climbing and the heights but at least she was beginning to become more relaxed when she looked down.

He stood with his back to her, illuminated by his own natural glow and from the moon's light seeping through the trees.

"I was wounded," she said softly, breaking the silence. When he said nothing, she continued. "At first, I thought you did not know. And then, it dawned on me that of course you would know. You check over the lists of the wounded and you must have seen my name. And then I wondered why you didn't come to visit me. Or...or even check up on me afterwards. I realize it would have been strange for you to come to only my bedside but even afterwards, I suppose I had this crazy thought in my head that you actually cared."

He still did not turn to look at her. Still said nothing.

She felt tears of frustration building up. "I mean, for Valar's sake, we haven't even spoken for almost a week now! And here you still ignore me, even as I stand before you and plead for a reply."

"I thought you would have realized my feelings for you when I did not come to your bedside," he said, still refusing to face her. "You were a past time, a hobby, nothing more. You really are so dense."

Raali's heart seized and she felt numb suddenly.

"No," she shook her head, "You don't mean that! You...you care for me."

"Oh?" he turned towards her, drawing closer, his hand carressing her cheek softly. "What makes you think that?"

"You told me!" Raali exploded, pushing him away. "You spent nights telling me about how you feel for me. You...you love me!"

He laughed and it chilled her.

"I love you?" a dark smile played on his face. "Come now, Raali. We are both adults. We need not play childish games. When did I ever tell you that I loved you?"

She did not say anything as she stood there, alone with this elf that she hardly knew.

"Or perhaps you were the one in love with me," he paused and then laughed again. "How positively charming. And just when I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic. Well now, you have gone and outdone yourself, my dear peasant."

She shook her head as she backed away from him. "You don't mean that. You don't mean what you're saying. You're drunk...you're drunk!"

"No, not at all, darling," he smiled. "Not in the least bit. My head is clear and for once I can think without you muddling my mind with your pornography."

"Why are you saying this?" her eyes begged for understanding.

"You must know the truth," he said in a dull tone. "My guilty conscience has caught up with me after all and it would be rather cruel of me to string you along. It also doesn't help that I have grown positively and downright bored with you. You were convenient when others were far from my bed but now, you're just a nuisance."

She couldn't take any more of this. His words burned through her and she turned swiftly towards the opening in the floor.

"You really are so naive," he said as she practically flung herself down the ladder.

Running at the fastest pace she could muster, she ran to a familiar looking talan and scrambled up the ladder, stopping just before the opening and called for Eland. Another elf peeked his head down to look but she turned her face away and waited for Eland to be woken up.

As soon as he took one look at her tear streaked face, he knew what had happened. He had suspected he would break her tonight when she confronted him. He climbed down after her and gently held her in his arms as she cried. He did not mind sleeping on the ground tonight with her and called for a mat and blanket.

Eventually, she had cried herself to sleep and he held her, partly sad for her emotional pain but mostly feeling relieved that she could now move on with her life and not be held down by the twisted Marchwarden.

'Perhaps he really had followed my advice,' Eland did not know. But whatever it was, he was glad that it was all over. Things could go back to normal. It would take her time to heal, but she would get over it eventually.

* * *

Haldir stood in the middle of the empty talan, smiling to himself. A blue liquid had started to pour out of his mouth, sliding down his chin, and dripping on the floor. The illumination of his skin had started to brighten, soon becoming like a blinding light as he started to convulse. Sinking to his knees, he screamed as the transformation took place.

The lone figure fell to the floor in exhaustion, crawling over to the abandoned cloak and clothing in the corner that was hidden by shadows. It was easy enough taking full advantage of the March Warden's ineptitude of showing emotion towards Raali. However, it was very difficult taking shape of the March Warden's form for so long, but it needed to be done.

She needed to be weakened.

It was only a matter of time now before the peasant would be destroyed.

* * *

A/N: Short but necessary chapter. As you can see, things are starting to come together. I know a lot of you have questions concerning the last part, but let it be known that it will all come together...eventually. 


	21. Raali 21

Raali brushed the hair back from her eyes and re-braided her hair while someone else was on watch. She stared solemnly into space, an apathetic gaze haunting her usually expressive face. Slender fingers moved nimbly and skillfully through dark hair as she wove several warrior braids. She was tired, emotionally and physically, but was relieved that the day was over. Several companies of elves had come through seeking to trade and improve diplomacy with the stronghold that is fair Lorien and it was almost as distressing as an Orc attack trying to escort them through the forest under an ever watchful gaze.

It had been a good three weeks since the 'incident' with Haldir and though her heart was heavy, she felt that she must go on. In the back of her mind, she knew the only reason why she had not faded that very night was because of Eland. She felt more than grateful towards him. He had held her all night as she cried and whimpered Haldir's name in the dark, giving her the emotional support that she needed so dearly. She knew that the other soldiers believed that her and Eland were involved, but she did not care and was relieved that he as well did not seem bothered by it. Merel, however, was rarely around, always busy with some menial task that the March Warden had burdened upon him. Raali had not had the change to see him in a while but was too caught up in her duties to truly notice anything askew.

She jumped out of her thoughts as a distress signal was sent through the air. Grabbing her bow, she and the other soldiers slid quietly out of the talan and moved through the trees towards the North East side of the border where the distress call was sent from. They moved quickly, seemingly mere flashes of light in the trees. When they arrived, they set right into battle as they saw that they were under attack. Several elves had already been killed and their bodies lay strewn on the forest floor, stretched out, almost reaching towards something, towards home. Raali felt a wave of nausea as she caught scent of their spilled blood and organs on the ground mixed in with that of dead Orcs.

She moved quickly with her sword, remembering to block and being more cautious than the previous time. An hour later, they had killed off the majority and sent a small group after the Orcs who had fled.

A fuming March Warden pushed through the crowd of confused warrior-clad elves.

"They should have never been allowed this close to the border!" he roared. "How was it that they were not sighted before?" His steel gaze turned to the frightened and worried looking soldiers of the North Eastern border patrol.

"They caught us completely by surprise, sir, " a paled soldier blurted out.

Haldir's gaze slid to him. "By surprise?" he asked with gritted teeth. "A group of 87 Orcs caught you by surprise!"

The elf swallowed hard. "Yes, sir," he nodded. "We were on very careful watch when they attacked. We did not hear or see them."

Haldir turned away, deep in thought. "So the enemy grows stronger," he said. "Then we must be twice as fast and twice as fierce." He turned back suddenly towards the Captain. "And ever more watchful. Twenty of our Lorien brethren died tonight defending our land and our people. Send word to the Lady though I am sure she is already aware."

Raali rushed through the crowd, eager to get back to her post. Tears shone in her eyes though she did not dare to let them slip through. A dark mood had set upon the warriors of Lorien. And there was a soft lament for those that died, though she guessed that the one in Lorien was much louder and much more heart-wrenching. It tore at her to think that many of those elves had families and partners that would probably fade along with them.

She spotted Eland a few feet away and called to him.

He turned and looked at her, tears in his eyes.

"Several of my friends...," his voice trailed off. Raali said nothing as she embraced him and allowed him to cry into her shoulder, deep sobs that spoke of a most painful loss. She looked around to see that Eland was not alone in his tears and she wondered why she was not mourning so fretfully as well. Perhaps it was because she had become jaded, had become used to the pain of loss that she no longer felt it as others did. If her mother's death certainly didn't do it, then Haldir's massacre of her heart certainly finished the job.

She gently pulled Eland up and supported him as they walked to the dining area, weak with fatigue and grief. And no matter how much she had urged him, he would not eat. He said very little on their way back to his talan, a sad expression on his face that seemed like it would be there for all eternity.

Yet Raali knew of nothing more that she could say to him. What could one say at a time like this? And she knew she was the worst at these 'heart-to-heart' talks, especially when it was her who was supposed to be doing the talking. But she had to try. She had to try, for Eland.

"Eland," she began but he cut her off.

"I think I'm just going to sleep," he said, his voice, no longer filled with emotion, sounded somewhat distant and cold. She was taken back at his words since she did plan on spending the entire night consoling him, as he had done with her.

"But I want to be there for you Eland!" she cried as he turned to leave. He turned back and smiled.

"You _have _been here for me and given me all the support I could ever want," he said warmly, "But I need to be alone now to reconcile with my thoughts. That is all."

"Well if you should ever need anything...," she bit her lip.

"Of course," he smiled again and turned away. "Thank you Raali."

She watched him walk away, still shocked and a bit hurt that he had not wanted to be in her company tonight.

Kicking away rocks with her boots, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smirked at the situation. Here she was, alone again. She realized that she had hated being alone at times like these when the mood was so melancholy. She just wanted to be with someone and talk about what happened. She just wanted someone's company.

After taking a quick bath at the river, she climbed up to her talan only to find that her hopes were answered but not in the way that she had expected.

"The March Warden has a message for you," one of the soldiers yawned and handed her a scroll. He was indeed requesting her presence at his talan. She felt a pang of fear and anxiety. And shame, though for what she did not know.

Walking towards his talan, she tried to 'fix' her heavy wet hair as best as she could. She did not know why she cared about what he would think of her and did not know why exactly she was trying to look nice for him. Her actions seemed scripted almost, as if she had done this so many times that it had become habit.

Indeed, it had.

She paused before she started to climb. What did he have to say to her? Did he want to reconcile? Did he wish to apologize? Her mind was blazing with a mixture of curiosity and dread.

She knocked twice at the entrance and heard his deep voice call for her to come in. Awkwardly, she walked in and stood before him, though not too close, just enough so that she could establish eye contact and not be chastised for anything.

"Please relax," he said to her and motioned towards a chair. Her eyes followed his hand gesture but she remained in her position, staring him down with an apathetic expression.

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I have received word from the Lady about news concerning your brother," he told her. "He was executed this morning. She knew you did not wish to attend so she scheduled it for a date that you would be away."

She felt her stern demeanor relax slightly at those words and she nodded at her acknowledgment.

"Is everything alright, Raali?" Haldir asked her suddenly, his eyes concerned. "Do you need to talk about this?"

She wanted to spit in his face.

"Yes March Warden," she said, " everything is fine. I don't need to talk. May I be dismissed?"

His eyes narrowed at her attitude and she hoped he had realized that he meant nothing to her any longer. At least that is what she kept telling herself as she gazed upon his handsome face. In reality, it was taking up all of her energy not to run over and maul him with hugs and kisses until he apologized and professed his love.

She was hoping that he would start to discuss what had happened between them but he did not.

"I'm sorry I have not spoken to you in a while," he said, his eyes piercing and searching her own. "I have been very busy. You must know that I am often very busy at the border. In fact, I will probably be up all night pouring over these maps and sorting through these reports."

She nodded but said nothing. He could see that his words had no affect on her whatsoever and he sighed and dismissed her. As she turned to leave, she saw him out of the corner of her eye, close his eyes and rub his temples. He was tired, no doubt.

'It must really be a burden to tear someone's heart to pieces,' she thought bitterly.

'Bastard.'

Yet on the way back, she could not help but choke down a sob. Tears sprang to her eyes yet again but she quickly swiped at them with the back of her hands.

Fuck. It still _hurt_.

She would get over this, she assured herself. Haldir had only been her first love. Everyone was upset about losing their first love, right? Everyone eventually gets over it, right?

"Right," she whispered to herself and pushed her chin up as she walked, forcing herself to regain military demeanor as she neared her talan.

Yet when she returned, there was no one there. Strangely enough, the talan was empty.

Something was not right and she frowned as she looked around for any signs of a note. Sighing, she suddenly heard many voices.

Grabbing her weapons, she raced swiftly to the forest floor, only to find a large group of soldiers walking back to their talans, talking solemnly but in a much improved mood. She spotted some friends and made her way over to them.

"What is going on?" she asked.

"We're going home," Miras, a recent friend of hers who was also one of the elves she shared the talan with, said with a sad smile. "We will return in a few weeks but the Lady has granted us a leave of absence."

Raali sighed deeply. She was relieved, but also still upset from the losses. In truth, she tried to shut out the truth and when she did, it didn't seem real. It seemed as if none of it happened, but then reality would set in and she would know the pain all over again. It upset her to think that she dreaded the lament that she would hear when she came home. It was unavoidable and the entire city would resonate with sadness. There could be no hiding from it. The laments forced the entire city to mourn.

'The elves of Lorien can be so sadistic sometimes,' she thought to herself.

'But haven't I mourned enough?' she thought as she walked back to her talan, 'Haven't I been through enough where I shouldn't have to mourn the loss of anyone else?"

She felt angry all of a sudden. Why were _they _forcing _her_ to mourn for more people when she had already lost so much?

'Well they _did_ sing a lament for your mother,' a voice in the back of her mind snapped. 'They mourned for your loved ones. They took you into their city. The least you could do is mourn for theirs.'

"But why me?" she yelled out loud, causing a few elves to turn their heads and look at her curiously. She ducked her head and kept walking.

'Those elves that lost their brothers, life mates, fathers today,' the voice continued, angry and determined, 'don't you think they suffer too? Don't you think they will mourn as you have mourned?'

Oh, who was she kidding? She stopped and closed her eyes, leaning against a tree.

She knew she was acting selfish, and stupid, and bitter, but all in all, the pain was still too fresh in her mind. The situation with Haldir was not helping either. She just wanted...peace of mind. Yet every time, it seemed something new would arise.

She always knew city life was more complicated, but did it have to involve so much drama? Sitting down on her cot in the talan, she closed her eyes and smiled. She was going home, even if it was for a few weeks. And when she did, she would take a long hot bath.

Alone.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this is yet another connecting chapter. I was thinking of making this the second to last chapter, but realized that I always have this bad habit of ending my stories in such a...how shall I put this...CRAP way. I need to learn how to write good endings and so far I have been failing miserably. I have a pretty clear view of how I want it to end and realized that if I ended it here, it would be so abrupt and still leave questions unanswered.**

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing!**

**ALSO, PLEASE READ HERE! I need YOUR help. It's not mega important but I will love you very much if you help me (yes, love, Mesopotamia love). So there was this story that I had on my favorite's list for a while which I foolishly erased and now want to reread. HOWEVER, I can't recall what it was called or who it was by BUT I do know that the story had the plot of the movie Ever After (you know, the one with Drew Barrymore. It was like Cinderella only cooler!) and the summary claimed so as well (about being like the movie ever after). I have tried searching for hours and looked at my reviews history, but nothing has come up. It IS quite an old story (I think it was published in 2001 or 2002 or something like that). I also remember that it was a Legolas fic with the character with nickname of 'Ari' (I can't remember the actual name but I can remember the nickname, figures doesn't it?) who is the nanny for Legolas' younger brother. It was quite a well-written story (from what I can remember), so if anyone happens to remember reading it or has it on their favorites list, please tell me what it is called or who it is by! My love is guaranteed!**


	22. Raali 22

The smell of lavender did not help to sooth her nerves. Raali felt as if she was constantly on the edge and could not figure out the cause of this distress. Something was seriously wrong.

Pressing her knees to her chest, she leaned her head back. The water was turning a sickly brown from the dirt and mud she had encountered on their way back from the border when she had accidentally tripped and fallen, her head feeling light. She did not know what was the cause of these episodes and it scared her that there may be something wrong with her. Yet her visit to the healers proved useless as well. They gave her more of that "special" tea and sent her home.

At dinner, Tani and Merel were nowhere to be found and Raali, Eland, and Gael ate dinner together without them.

"Do you think they're...you know..together?" Gael giggled as she asked.

Raali and Eland looked at each other and laughed.

"We had actually asked her about it once," Raali smiled, taking another sip of her wine. "The answer and reaction were less than pleasant. We don't think anything is going on, though she _has _hinted of liking a certain ellon very much."

"Unfortunately, we have no clue who he is," Eland smirked.

"I actually think I might know," Raali said with a mischievous grin. "But Im not sure if I should tell you."

She cried out loudly as Eland kicked her under the table and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"I think thats enough wine for you," Gael smiled as she pretended to steal the goblet for herself.

"Alright, you want to know?" Raali leaned in and motioned for them to do so as well. "But you have to promise not to tell her that I told you."

"She told you and she didn't tell me?" Eland sounded a bit hurt.

"Yes, well, were both elleths," Raali said. "Elleths share things like that……apparently."

"But-," he began.

"Oh, do you want to know or not?" she hissed with impatience. Both nodded and leaned in. "Tani...likes...oh should I really tell you?"

"Yes!" both cried out.

"Alright," Raali grinned and kept her voice down,"Tani likes Telis!"

Both mouths went slightly ajar but she did not get the reaction she expected. Instead, both began to frown.

"Err...she does know that hes...you know," Gael asked.

"That he's what?" Raali looked at her, clearly puzzled.

"Raali, Telis plays for his own side," Eland said and both him and Gael watched Raalis still confused expression.

"Raali, he likes his own kind," Gael tried. "Do you understand?"

Raali stared at her blankly.

"Oh for Valars sake, elleth, hes gay!" Eland exclaimed in frustration.

"Gay?" Raali cried..

"Yes, gay," Gael nodded. "He prefers them male. Can't say I blame him."

"But...I always see him with that one elleth...," Raali trailed off. "Thats not an elleth, is it?"

Both shook their heads, trying desperately not to laugh.

"Oh poor Tani!" Raali burst into laughter and her friends followed. "Should I tell her?"

"No!" Gael and Eland said and continued to laugh.

After dinner, they took a walk through the city until all were feeling very tired.

"I think Im going to go to bed," Raali yawned. "Goodnight you two."

"Goodnight," the two lovers said in unison and walked back to Elands talan, hand in hand. Raali could not help but feel a sense of jealousy.

'I want to have something like that with someone!' she thought bitterly.

And a small voice teased, 'You did. Or at least, it was nice when you thought you did.'

"Yes, but that was when I didnt know he was scum," she muttered to herself, walking back to her talan barefoot, her slippers in one hand. The grass felt soft and the air was sweet and fresh.

She had missed walking barefoot and was used to her knee high army boots, but for that the grass felt even better underneath her feet. She swung her arms gently as she walked in her blue dress that she had worn on her first night in Lorien. It swivelled around her ankles as she walked. She smirked down at her feet which had become lighter in color. She was no longer working in the hot sun barefoot and even though the sun never shone too brightly in Lorien, she still stood out from the others with slightly darker skin, like that of the Haradrim.

"May I join you?" a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts and made her have a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"I prefer to be alone," she said coldly and kept walking.

"At least let me walk you back to your talan," Haldir said. Was he pleading? No, it must be her imagination.

She said nothing as they continued to walk and the awkwardness of the situation was not helped as he followed her into her talan.

When they had entered her living room, she simply stood still and did not move, her heart beating faster as she heard Haldir close the door. Gently, he lifted her chin so that she would look at him. Raw lust slammed into her as she watched his eyes upon her, his body close, and his breathe on her lips. She could smell wine on his warm breath.

"Don't," her voice cracked gently as she practically whispered the word. Her lips barely brushed his as she spoke. She was not sure whether what escaped her lips sounded like a demand or a plea but her mind would not relent on the situation. It screamed for her to push him away, to reject him as he rejected her when she needed him most.

He felt her tense underneath his touch but if he was confused or upset, he did not show it and his eyes retained the same expressionless gaze. To make matters worse for her, he had started to trail his fingers down her arms, only to grab a tight hold onto her wrists, giving a slight squeeze. Through this, he had not moved his face away and to her utter dismay, neither did she. Her body was not reacting as her mind was, even as it was screaming for her to act.

I want this, she thought one moment and then the next, I dont want this.

"Don't," she managed to say again, with more emphasis. But it seemed as though he did not see the battle raging within and ignored her words as he claimed her lips with such vigor and force that she could only moan under his touch. His hands, on her wrists, pulled her closer to him as he pushed them behind her back. It was a passionate, hungry kiss.

Before she knew it, he was pressing her down on the couch and his hands had left her wrists and had started to roam her body as she lay beneath him, struck by lust and shock. He started to unbutton her tunic.

"Dont," she said forcefully, staring him straight in the eye. "I dont want this."

A slight thrill ran through her as their eyes met. They grew cold and he gracefully slid off of her, looking as well groomed as ever and not a single hair out of place.

"You are still angry with me," he said it in a matter-of-fact way.

"I am more than angry with you, March Warden," she practically used his title as a curse.

"I apologize that I have not been around as often as you have needed me," he told her, his eyes still hard, "but you must realize that it is much too risky on the border and I am extremely busy."

"I see," Raali smirked. "So now you have some free time and you decided that you need your convenient fuck back." Her eyes were just as cold.

"Those are ugly words unfit for a warrior," he spat. "Do not forget your place."

"Oh, pardon me, March Warden," she bit off sarcastically, "I completely forgot that the only place I had in your life was in your bed. How silly of me!"

"I do not deny that I have missed you dearly," he admitted. "I realize that this is a sensitive time for you, but do not take your anger out on me."

"My anger?" Raali almost laughed. "Out on you? If I remember correctly, you have taken your anger out on me plenty of times. I am sick of you toying with me and my emotions. Eland was right. You are no good for me."

She suddenly paused at her words and her eyes widened at the sudden realization that she had mentioned Elands name. She turned away from him, not wanting to see the expression on his face.

"What has he told you?" his voice was low and anger-filled. Raali shook her head, her back still turned towards him. His hand reached for her arm and sharply turned her around. "I ask you again, what has he told you?"

"Why should I tell you?" she glared at him and tried not to grimace at his painful grip on her arm.

"I can make life very hard for your friend," he said, his voice a deadly calm.

"Dont you dare!" she cried, anger welling up.

"Then tell me what he said," his grip never ceased even as she tried to tear herself away.

"He told me how you treat elleths," she glared at him. "He told me how you dont have the capacity to care for anyone but yourself and that you dont care about me, that you never cared about me. You use elleths to your own liking and then you drop them just as quickly and I see that I was just a passing phase with you. I can no longer stomach your lies. It was Eland who saved me after your betrayal! He ended up being the only person I could trust, my best friend, not you."

"He knows nothing," Haldir raised his voice. "You would listen to him over me?"

"And who else would I listen to?" she yelled. "Who was there when I was so close to fading from what you did to me, him or you? After you said those...those horrible things to me, I was broken, but now I see you for what you really are! You're manipulative. You exploited my pain and molded it so that I saw you as savior. Perhaps I was too Adense to figure it out at first. I am a peasant after all, arent I? You reminded me of that so often."

"What was it I said to you?" he asked, calmly. "What are you talking about?"

"Perhaps you were drunk after all," she laughed. "But no matter, even if you were, people tend to be most honest when they are under the influence of good wine."

"And what was it exactly that I said?" his grey eyes narrowed, focused on her.

"You truly do not remember?" she said with a casual tone. "I suppose when the truth comes out, the liars are the first ones to forget it. But after all, of what importance was I to you? I was a Ahobby, a Apast time, A_nothing more_. I suppose your conscience was not so guilty after all."

"And who did you say said these things to you?" Haldir asked. His calm infuriated her.

"You did!" she cried. He walked past her towards the door.

"You are insane," he said, turning to glare at her.

"Dont forget convenient and naive," she glared back, her arms crossed defensively across her chest.

Growling, he stalked up to her, his face inches from hers. "I dont know what it is that Eland has driven into your head, but let it be known that when he is done brainwashing you, you can see the mistake that you have made. Let it be known to you that I care and have always cared, but I will not sit here and listen to your tirade."

And then he left.  
Just like that.  
The door slammed sharply behind him, making her jump slightly.

Raali wanted so badly to run away and scream as loud as she could, so badly to just run away from everything. She blew out the lamps and walked quietly to her bedroom in the dark, laying face down on her bed, crying herself to sleep as the moonlight that ripped through the trees bathed her room in soft light.

* * *

The next morning, she dragged herself out of bed to meet her friends for breakfast.

Raali smiled. "Im glad we're all together like this," she said softly. "We aren't around each other as much as we used to be."

"We're all busy with our own lives, Eland spoke suddenly. AIt happens."

"The March Warden keeps assigning all of these tasks that have me running to and from the border," Merel sighed. He appeared tired and his skin was a rather unhealthy color.

"Well my reason is even more selfish," Tani sighed and looked at Raali with hurt eyes. "I met someone."

"Tani, _who did you meet_?!" Raali exclaimed, excitedly.

Tani giggled and the rest of them smiled. The air felt less burdened with tension as they relaxed and started to talk as they once did when they were all together.

"Well, he is an old family friend," she said. "From Mirkwood, no less! He is a horse breeder and has grown quite wealthy from it. He even sold several of his horses to the King of Mirkwood himself! He is here trying to establish some dealings."

"I remember him," Raali laughed. "It was hell trying to get him, his horses, and his entourage to the city. He was very handsome though, definitely your type of elf."

"Yes, well, we have been meeting for walks and dinner ever since he arrived," she blushed. "He told me that ever since he set eyes on me, he cant stop thinking about me."

"Oh Tani, thats great!" Raali exclaimed.

"He sounds worthy of song," Merel said and then almost fell back as Tani playfully tried to swat at him.

When Tani and Merel had left, Eland stayed behind.

"What happened with Haldir?" he asked quietly as they walked aimlessly in the city.

"How do you know something happened with Haldir?" her eyes widened. "Did he say something to you?"

Eland shook his head. "When I hugged you, you smelled like him."

Raali flushed considerably. She had not bathed from last night.

"Well at first..."

She didnt know what to say. She was shy and slightly embarrassed about telling him what went on. She avoided eye contact with him and looked down at her feet as she talked.

"At first, he kissed me, it wasnt a total lie. AAnd I was in shock. But then, I sort of...snapped out of it. I told him what I thought of him and we...fought. He said he didn't remember saying those things to me. And I called him a liar. He became angry with me and told me that you were the one filling my head with lies and that he still cared for me. And then he just left." She finished, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Eland nodded. "Do you believe him?"

Raali looked him in the eye. "No".

It seemed to be a relief to Eland, "Good. Now you can move on to better, more capable elves, worthy of song and such."

Raali laughed and pushed away that stubborn feeling of hurt.

Raali giggled. "I seriously thought she was going to say that the elf was Telis. And so did you! You should have seen the look on your face."

Eland shook his head, trying not to laugh. "You need to grow up, Raali."

* * *

She avoided Haldir as best as she could during their stay in Lorien but shortly after, they were greatly needed at the North Western border and set off at a maddening pace.

When they arrived, they got to choose their own talans and naturally, Merel, Eland and Raali all went into the same one, accompanied by several other individuals. As they walked towards their talans, Raali suddenly had a strange feeling, once again. It was strange that the entire time she had never felt it again in Lorien.

"It's probably just anxiety," Eland reassured her. "I used to get it too when I first joined the guard."

But Raali wasn't so sure it was that simple.

And worst of all, she had completely slacked off and did not read up on anything in the library.

She chided herself but pushed the thought out of her head.

For now, she wanted to just be with her friends.

* * *

**A/N : Sorry! So very sorry that it took so long! I have just been so busy with work and school! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I know many of you have been contacting me and well, here it is! Sorry for the long wait! I have already started on the next chapter!  
**

**Also, please be warned that the file got weird and corrupted and I just wanted to get it up already so if you see places where quotation marks are missing or there is a letter 'A' in front of another word, deal with it. I'm too lazy to change it but other than that my grammar and spelling should be fine. If not...really I'm just too lazy at this point.  
**

**:-\**


	23. Raali 23

Note: I'm really surprised and overwhelmed (and happy!) that so many of you are really enjoying my story so much! It was just an idea I had floating around and I'm surprised people actually like it. That makes me glad. :-)

* * *

Raali bit her lip and squinted one eye as she concentrated on pulling the insects out of Merel's hair.

"How did you even get into that nest of bugs?" Raali voiced her irritation as she squeezed a small blue beetle between her fingers.

"I fell," Merel mumbled.

"Well," Raali snorted, "You have quite an infestation here, my friend. Let us hope no one attacks any time within the next hour or you shall be fighting with an itchy scalp."

"Oh the agony," Eland said in a flat voice, not looking up from his book.

"Actually, it is agonizing," Raali quipped, combing through Merel's hair with her fingers. "Remember that time I got lice from those human travelers? That was horrific. My head felt like it was on fire, in addition to, of course, being nicked several times by Uruk blades. That was a particularly long battle, as I recall."

"Ah yes," Eland said, "I remember that battle. And I forget how new you are to all of this if you consider that to be a long battle. Trust me, my dear, that wasn't really very long at all. The only memorable parts of that battle were your head lice and my very full bladder."

Merel giggled and Eland shot him a look.

"If you had to choose between abandoning your fellow soldiers to death at the hands of Uruks and a wet pair of leggings, I hardly doubt you would mind peeing on yourself in the midst of battle," Eland said, his nose high in the air.

"I think we could have spared you for a few moments, Eland," Merel smiled. Raali made a futile attempt not to laugh.

However, the others in the talan who were not good friends of theirs attempted nothing and fully displayed their take on the situation by bursting out into loud and obnoxious laughter. Eland cursed and returned to his book, turning away agitated.

"I can't believe we've been here so long," sighed Raali. "Has four months gone by so quickly?"

"I don't know why we are staying so long," Eland shook his head, looking up once more from his book. "Most will agree that the border has been quiet for a while and is not necessary in the least bit."

"Have your headaches gotten any better, Raali?" Merel asked.

"Actually yes," she smiled. "Although, I can't help like feeling that something is off, that something is not right here. I feel as if there is something wrong with me or…with something. I don't know! I can just feel it and it's been bothering me."

"You'll figure it out in time," Merel said. "I'm sure."

"I hope so," Raali said, "But in the meantime, what is bothering me is the sheer amount of those insects in your hair! It is as if you took a bucket full and poured them all over! And they bite too, little buggers!"

"Yes I know they bite," Merel said, "but I have tried washing them out in the river and they must love my head so much that they simply did not want to let go."

"There is only one solution to this," Raali said. "I can't go through all of them. There are simply too many."

"You're going to cut my hair!?" Merel practically screamed.

"Shh!" Raali quieted him down. "No one is going to cut your hair. I was going to suggest a good old fashioned vinegar soak."

"Raali, that only works on lice," Eland said.

"Well if it worked on lice, why would it not work on these little blue things that have attached themselves quite fiercely to poor Merel's scalp?" Raali said, soothing Merel by running her hands gently through his scalp, freeing off some of the insects. "Besides, it couldn't hurt."

Merel looked up at her hopefully.

"I meant that in the metaphorical sense of course," she quickly added. "It actually does sting and itch quit terribly."

"Oh lovely," Merel smirked.

After dunking vinegar on Merel's head and wrapping it in a warm cloth, Merel was left to poke at certain parts of his head that itched and stung like nothing he had ever felt before. Raali slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch!" she said. "It's terribly uncomfortable but you've only an hour left before I can wash it out."

"An hour?" Merel practically shouted. "But it itches now! What good will it do me in an hour?"

"Merel, listen to Raali," Eland said, still entranced in the same book.

"Goodness Eland," Raali said. "You've had your nose in that book all day. Is this really how you're going to use your spare time?"

"For the record," smirked the elf, his eyes still following the text, "some people actually enjoy reading. Some people actually find it to be relaxing and fun."

"Some people are boring," Merel laughed.

"And some people are going to get their hair set on fire if they don't watch what they say!" Eland sniffed and turned away once more.

"Oh don't be such a grouch," Raali giggled. "What are you reading about anyway?"

"Nothing of importance," Eland coughed, turning the front of his book away as Raali kept leaning forward to look at it.

Finally, it came down to wrestling and Raali was frantically trying to crawl over Eland to get the book.

"I want to see!" she cried

To which Eland solidly replied, "No!"

Finally the book was knocked from his hand and lay splayed down on the floor.

"Now look what you did!" Eland said, pretending he was not embarrassed as his friend's read the title. "You made me bend one of the pages and get it dirty! Shame on you."

"'The art of elven marriage?'" gaped Raali. "Eland, are you serious?"

Eland shrugged. "I feel as ready as I will ever be. I feel ready to have a companion and start a family. I feel ready to settle down and make someone other than myself happy. But most of all, I truly love Gael and feel that she is right for me."

"Does she know?" Raali asked cautiously.

Eland cleared his throat, "No, not yet. But she will, when I am ready to propose."

"Well, I approve!" she beamed. "I think you are perfect for each other. I couldn't imagine you with another, Eland."

"Well, I don't approve," Merel said with an unusually stern look on his face. "You're not right for each other at all. She is too young to settle down. The young make rash choices. Even if she does agree, she may say it now, but she may soon regret it."

"Merel," Raali said, "How can you say such a thing? You know that isn't true. Gael is wise for her years. You know her. She is not like that at all."

"I. don't. approve," and looking slightly ridiculous with the vinegar wrap on top of his head, he quickly disappeared down the hatch in the talan.

Raali looked over to Eland who had been quiet the entire time.

"I do not know why they do not like her," he sighed. "Tani had the same reaction."

"Some people just don't mix well together," she gave him a sympathetic smile. "Oil and water, mate."

"I suppose," Eland replied, smirking.

* * *

The next few weeks flowed by quickly for their brigade, yet there was still on word on when they were going to be able to return home. Raali had become accustomed to the soldier's way of life and was no longer shy or modest about bathing with the other soldiers. However, the last few weeks had also become the worst. There were more attacks and Raali's episodes had returned. She was becoming frightened and from the time she awoke at dawn to the moment she fell asleep at night, she had a peculiar feeling that something was very off.

"The episodes, the duration of our stay, and the increasing attacks," Raali spoke as she sat with Eland, "it's all connected somehow. Yet I can't put my finger on what is going on."

"Personally," he said after swallowing some food, "I think being out on the border and being in battle so frequently is doing this to you."

"But it was happening before!" Raali protested.

"Yes, and you were under extreme pressure then too," Eland reminded her. "It might be just your reaction to your current situation. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Focus on better things. How about I give you a bit of light reading? I brought _The complete history of Rivendell_."

Raali tried not to cringe. "Erm, no but thank you," she forced a smile.

"Suit yourself," Eland grinned. "I was actually saving it for last as it is one of my favorites."

"You have already read it?" she raised an eyebrow.

To which he proudly replied, "Yes, many times."

"But why read something you have already read?" Raali asked, incredulous.

"Because some people read for pleasure Raali," he said passionately, "Not just simply for the sake of reading. Many believe that it is an accomplishment merely to read a book, but that misses the very point, the very essence of why books were written in the first place. One must savor the book, as one savors a sweet in their mouth. A book must be loved and…."

Raali stared at him in disbelief and pretended to listen to his words. In truth, though she knew how to read, that was never really a priority in her life and she had rarely ever read for pleasure. Yet the way Eland spoke of it, it seemed as if it was the most exciting thing to do in the world.

She now sorely wished that she had gone to the library to read up on the kind of magic that was supposedly being performed on her. She awoke from her thoughts as Eland finished his speech.

"And that is why you must learn to love the written word!" he sighed. "What do you think?"

Raali opened her mouth to speak, "Err…"

Yet, the horn in the distance saved her from answering and like the rest, she ran to get her bow and sword in preparation for battle. But something was wrong. She could feel it and panic set in. She spotted Merel running ahead and ran faster to catch up with him. His hair was wet and she saw that he had managed to rid himself of the insects.

They ran up to their talan together and she quickly told him of what was happening to her at the moment. He stopped and put a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Stay back, Raali," he said, his voice filled with urgency. "Stay back this time and lay down."

"No, but we're being attacked-."

"You must stay!" he shouted. "Promise me you'll stay! You're no good out there with your episodes. I will explain to Haldir later, but for now, you must stay." Without a glance, he disappeared to join the others into battle. Raali collapsed onto the cot shaking.

The sudden sound of thunder and sudden heavy lightening and rain made her shiver all the more. Something was not right.

Her body trembled with unknown fear. She did not know what was happening to her.

Turning over, she retched over the side of the bed and then sat up right.

She sensed urgency, a sudden need to leave the talan at once. Despite her weakened state, she reached for her sword and placed it in its sheath, almost falling down the ladder as she climbed down from the talan.

As she walked aimlessly through the deserted forest, the rain seemed to beat harder down, soaking her thoroughly, but she plodded on. Where she had to go, she was not sure. But something was telling her that she must keep walking. She was not there yet, even though she did not know where "there" was.

The sky had darkened considerably and it seemed as if night was upon the forest. The further she went in, the darker it became, but she dared not go back. She knew that once she found "it" all of her problems would be solved. She would find the mystery to everything.

Finally, she collapsed on her knees. She was exhausted and could walk no further. She licked the rain off of her face, taking in the much needed refreshment.

She was here. She had finally arrived.

Raali gave a slight cry as fire erupted on the other side of the clearing. It danced towards her in a strangely seductive manner, but then suddenly formed the shape of one that was hooded. Raali was still on her knees, gaping at the figure that was standing near the edge of the clearing. The figure soon turned solid and walked closer.

"You wish to know why you were brought here?" a familiar voice asked calmly. "You wish to know the truth, dear Raalith?"

Raali was too shocked to stand. She was on her knees, rooted to the spot, gaping in wonder and fear.

"Soon, all shall be revealed," the figure assured her. "But first, I would like you to regain some of your strength. You will need it for our time together."

A goblet of water appeared in front of her.

"Drink," the figure ordered plainly.

Yet, Raali hesitated and simply stared at it.

"My dear, I give you my word that I am not trying to poison you."

"What makes you think I believe you?" Raali finally spoke.

"Because killing you won't be half as fun if you're already dying of exhaustion," the figure said.

Raali knew she had no other choice than to trust the figure. She was far too exhausted and would be killed either way. She had nothing to lose if she trusted the figure.

Bringing the cup to her lips, she took a hasty sip and then proceeded to drain the cool liquid. She felt herself regenerate and stood up, unsheathing her sword.

"Very good," the figure chided. "Now, let's get down to business."

To Raali's surprise and utter horror, the figure unsheathed its own sword. It wanted to kill her.

The rain was coming down hard and the figure in front of her drew closer, its sword ready to strike. It charged at her, swinging swiftly, striking against Raali's own sword in smooth, fluid motions. Raali parried and dealt as many blows as she could. The figure, whoever it was, was an expert at sword fighting and Raali had truly met her match, if not her superior.

It seemed as if they had been fighting to hours when suddenly their swords clashed and locked. The figure gave a swift kick to Raali's stomach, sending her flying to the ground a few feet away. Groaning, Raali looked up.

"Oh Raali, you can be such a silly girl sometimes."

That voice. She knew that voice.

She watched the gloved hand of the figure reach towards its hood and pull it back.

Raali gasped.

"You?"


	24. Raali 24

**Author's note: Sorry for the long delay. I was really having some writer's block and just had no time to sit down. Another chapter will be coming. I just don't know when.**

* * *

Raali's heart beat hard against her chest as she looked up at the pale face of her friend.

Tani looked very unlike herself. Appearing tired and drained, there were dark circles around her eyes and she looked thinner, her cheek bones jutted sharply.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Tani's lips quirked up into an awry smile.

It had started to rain again. Raali had not even bothered to notice that it had stopped in the first place.

"I do not understand this!" she cried. "You're my friend!"

"How terribly naïve of you to assume we were ever friends," Tani smirked. "You are much too trusting for your own good, my dear. Come, let us finish this and perhaps as you lay dying, I can explain everything from the very beginning. If you have time, that is."

Raali pushed herself up and met Tani in battle once more. Contrary to what the other elves believed, Tani was very skilled and agile. She showed more grace than any other warrior she had ever seen, with the exception of Haldir, of course. Raali's heart pounded in her chest.

Tani roared in rage. "Still think I'm your friend? That's why you're trying not to hurt me?"

And it was the truth. Despite Tani's current homicidal state, Raali could not bring herself to hurt her.

But she was becoming tired as well and Tani looked like she was just getting started.

"Come on!" Tani screamed, her pale face flushing. "Fight me! Is this the best you can do?"

Their swords clanged as they moved around each other in a sort of dance, with only the constant fire of flames that seemed to be burning despite the rain. The fire and the rain reflected off their swords.

Raali cried out in pain as Tani's blade cut her arm.

Yet, even then she still refused to hurt Tani.

"Do you know what the first thing that horse breeder said to me?" Tani said, breathing hard as she continued to fight. "He said how taken he was with you! Can you imagine, you? Of all people, you? It made me sick!"

To Raali, they fought for what seemed like hours and Tani did not seem as if she was on the verge of stopping or slowing down. She knew 'talking it out' was out of the question on this one and she was terrified to think what would come as a result of all of this.

She still refused to hurt Tani. Raali knew she could never live with herself if she had caused her harm. Yet, at the same time, Tani had no problem in inflicting pain on her. In fact, she meant to kill her which put a bit of a damper on their friendship.

The wound on her arm was bleeding, but Raali knew that no artery had been cut and took comfort in that thought.

"Are we really going to keep fighting?" Raali asked.

Tani's face was livid. "Why, getting tired?" she taunted.

"No," Raali lied. "I'm just curious. What if neither of us will ever tire? Will we fight for days, weeks?"

"If we have to," Tani's lips tightened as she roughened her attack. Her sword seemed to swim around Raali, who was exhausted and dehydrated. She was used to hours of battle, but even orcs did not fight like this. She secretly wished for Tani to grow as tired as she was, but to no avail. Tani was not even sweating.

They had been fighting for nearly an entire day and Raali's vision began to swim at that point. She knew she was no match for Tani and she would admit it freely. She started to be clumsier and slower and with a cry, she fell to the ground as Tani's sword pierced her.

Silence.

And then she felt herself vomit the contents of her stomach, in addition to blood. Swallowing hard, her throat parched, she looked up at Tani, who stood above her, her boot on Raali's hip.

She felt herself being pushed onto her back.

"You're going to die now, my darling," she heard Tani's voice whisper next to her ear. "But I am nothing if not patient. So while we wait for your death, I will explain everything the best I can."

She looked down at her wound and saw that it was a deadly one.

At first, panic set in.

Then rage.

Then sadness.

She whimpered and a tear ran down her face.

"Be strong," Tani urged.

"Shut up!" was Raali's reply, her lips flecking with blood as she shouted.

But Tani laughed as she nuzzled closer to Raali. She felt herself stiffen as Tani's fingers undid her braids and brushed themselves through her hair. She stared wide-eyed up at the blonde elleth, who smiled sweetly to herself. And then gasped as Tani's lips collided with her own.

She froze. Tani's tongue ventured into her mouth. When she pulled back, she was still smiling.

Raali gaped back at her in horror. "What has happened to you?"

"I just wanted to see what the big deal was," she shrugged. "How disappointing."

She smirked. Raali's vision started to blur.

"Your eyes are losing focus," Tani sighed. "Here, drink this. I decided that I want to talk for a bit."

Tentatively, Raali's lips wrapped themselves around the vial and she drank the foul liquid. Sputtering, she shivered and turned to her 'friend' once more.

Tani began:

"It started long before you came to Lorien. Not many know this, but your brother lived in Lorien for a few years. Before that little incident of his, of course. I met him when I was still a student. He began learning about dark magick and had bought a book from some human peddler during his travels. It scared him, he admitted to me one day."

"But he was enthralled by it all the same. It taught him dark secrets of this world. And we became involved romantically, him and I. Did you know that Raali? Did you know that I bedded your dear brother for more than a decade? How does that make you feel?"

"This was before you went completely mad, I take it," Raali said and received a sharp slap.

"What do you know, peasant whore!" Tani's face reddened. She drew close to Raali. "Talk like that to me one more time, and I sever your head and send it to your precious March Warden as a present." She chuckled. "We shall get to him as well."

"He did mention you, you know. That he had a sister. If it makes you feel any better, before the darkness took him completely, he did admit to loving you and your mother very deeply. Not so much your father. May I ask why?"

"He-he left us a long time," Raali said softly, clutching at her wound and trying, in vain, to stop the bleeding.

"Ah. But as the years went on, I saw how he became to grow weaker in his own disposition and that was when the darkness began to take hold. That can happen when you are not careful. And now he is dead."

"But he did give me his book before he left. He said he didn't need it. He said that I should take it and learn the true ways of the world. And so I did, but I would not fall to the same fate for I am stronger and knew much more about this than some peasant boy."

"Through it, I knew the path I must take and the means of getting there. I began to delve into the darkness, but only really skimming the top. I learned priceless things. I learned how to make someone feel pain by a mere glance in their direction, how to transform myself into a different entity, how to set curses, and most importantly, how to control the minds of the weak."

"I would have been great. I would have been one of the most highly respected elves in all of Middle Earth. And then my world came tumbling down as I was rejected from serving in the guard. Do you know how that feels? To be rejected from a time-honored tradition in your family?"

She chuckled, "The Lady rendered me emotionally unstable. Or at least that is what she told my parents, but I knew the truth. She was frightened of me! She was frightened of my abilit-"

"The Lady is frightened of no one," Raali rasped. "Least of all you."

"Think you know the Lady so well?" Tani smiled and then continued. "She knew the power I possessed. But I was not strong enough then to fight her. Not like I am now. My powers foretold that I will one day rise to greatness. And I tried to do so everyway I could think of. I even thought for a moment that perhaps I should stop it all. Perhaps just get married and tend to a garden. Ha! No one wants to marry someone rejected from the guard…."

Tani continued to babble on about ellons in her life as Raali struggled to breath. More liquid was shoved down her throat and once again, she choked and sputtered.

"I'm not through with you yet," Tani said. "Moving on, I realized that I could never rise to greatness being who I am. Look at me, do I look like someone who is destined for such a thing? Of course not. Everyone sees me as the librarian type. Can you guess at what I have in store for you?"

Raali said nothing.

"Oh come on! Guess! It will be fun!"

Yet, still Raali said nothing and merely stared at her. Why had she never seen this before? Tani was quite obviously mad and yet it took her untimely death to figure it out.

Pity.

"Oh, fine! So, I've never actually done this before," she pulled out a rather yellowed and weathered looking book. "But the directions are pretty clear. I just have to get you into that tiny space between life and death and then I take over."

Raali's eyes widened, "What?"

"Weren't you listening? Oh, but you never did. I did say that I realized that I could never become who I wanted to be, being who I am. So I think I'll be you instead. You're certainly a good candidate for that kind of thing. You're sleeping with the March Warden, have great friends, the Lady likes you: You're quite perfect. Through you, I can be anything I want to be. It would be a new life. A new me."

"Except it wouldn't be you," Raali said. "It would still be me. And people would notice. Everyone would notice."

"Notice?" she scoffed. "How would they notice? I've been studying you for a while now: your mannerisms, your little quirks. I know you better than you know yourself."

"So what are you waiting for?" asked Raali.

"Well I kind of wanted to tell you what would happen," Tani said. "I mean, it's only polite. I am going to take over your body after all."

"You're going to upset the balance of the universe," Raali said. "This isn't natural."

Tani paused.

"You're starting to annoy me," she finally said. "I don't think I'll hold it off anymore."

And so they waited in the silence of the forest for Raali to die.

Raali stared up at the treetops and watched as once again, her vision began to swim.

Out of her eye, she saw something move, but she felt herself succumbing to the sweet darkness.

All of the chaos, all of the pain.

That was all over now and she accepted her fate.

The world grew dimmer and dimmer, until finally Raali's world was no more.

**To Be continued!**


	25. Raali 25

Tani gave a small cry as Eland appeared suddenly before her. He dropped to his knees before Raali and held his head in his hands.

They both sat in silence.

"What have you done?" Eland finally spoke.

"It was- we got into an argument," Tani said meekly, tears rolling down her dirt smeared cheeks. "I don't know. It all just happened so fast. Eland, what do I do?"

Eland moved to hold her as her body dissolved into uncontrollable sobbing. But then suddenly, he drew back.

She sniffed, and looked up at him through reddened, tear-filled eyes. "Eland?"

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, moving away from her suddenly. "There is no reason for you to be out here."

He looked down at her. "Where did you get that uniform…and that sword with her blood on it?" He continued to back away. "What have you done?"

Tani whimpered and then turned away from him, still crying. Her eyes moved to Raali's body and her hand had moved to her sword lying a few feet away. Reaching for it, she cradled it in her arms. Eland watched in shock, as Tani began to read from a book that she had lying next to her. It was in a language that he could not understand, but the sound of it made his blood run cold. And then in an instant, Tani drove the sword into herself, screaming more of the foreign language.

Eland's breath came out uneven and raspy. He doubled over and vomited. His head felt light and everything seemed surreal. Wiping his mouth, he stumbled up and began to run as fast as he could towards the base.

'This isn't real,' he told himself. 'None of this is real.'

He ran wildly into the encampment, straight to the March Warden. As he ran he caught the attention of everyone he passed. He did not realize that he was screaming.

* * *

Haldir and a few other soldiers followed Eland as he navigated them towards the bodies of Raali and Tani. When they finally arrived, all (with the exception of Eland) were surprised to see the March Warden rush over to Raali and hold her to him. He clasped her hand to his and held it against his chest. He jumped back as she squeezed his hand in return. All watched with a mixture of shock and fear, as Raali's eyes opened and she struggled to sit up.

Her head turned to Tani, whose body had decayed quickly beyond recognition. Nobody dared to speak, until Haldir drew Raali against him and embraced her, whispering lovingly in her ear and kissing the top of her head. Raali responded by wrapping her arms around his waist and smiling to herself. Through this gesture, their love was revealed to the Galadhrim and no one dared speak against them.

"What happened?" Haldir asked when they were back at the base. Everyone drew in close to hear her explanation.

"Tani saved me," she said, her voice cracking. "Tani sacrificed herself to save me. She gave her life for me."

"What do you mean?" Eland strode forward. "She said, you two got into an argument. What were you arguing over?"

"What does it matter now?" Raali said with a sigh, turning her head towards the March Warden. "It was practically over nothing. She bested me in a fair fight. Tani was actually a very powerful warrior. I don't know why she hadn't been allowed into the guard, but she fought valiantly and defeated me. And then, she gave her life to spare mine. She should be honored and celebrated."

"As she will be," Haldir reassured, stroking her dark hair.

"But this does not make any sense!" Eland insisted. All eyes turned to him.

"What about it doesn't make sense?" Raali asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Why would you have fought her like that?" he demanded. "She would not just stab you without a reason!"

Before Raali could reply, Haldir held his hand up. "Enough of your questions," he said firmly, "Can you not see how you exhaust her? She has been through much and needs rest. Londas, send word of what has happened here. I will accompany Raali back to the city." Gently, he lifted Raali in his arms and began to walk back to the base. The rest of the soldiers followed him, leaving Eland standing alone in the clearing with the quickly decaying corpse of Tani.

Something was wrong. He could feel it. Walking over to Tani's body, he dropped to his knees and looked helplessly at his friend. He found it strange that her body had begun to decompose so rapidly. Why hadn't anyone else noticed?

And Tani had been acting strange as of late. Could it have been due to the argument? Looking down, he suddenly noticed a book in her hand. It looked as if it was partially burned.

'This was the book that she was reading from when she killed herself,' he realized.

Tucking it in his uniform, he said his farewell to his friend and hoped that she was in a peaceful place.

* * *

Raali smiled mischievously as Haldir swept her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom of his talan. Settling into his bed, she was somewhat disconcerted by how hard it was and how it reeked of his sweat. She of course, knew she could not object to such things. After all, being who she was, she certainly should not mind in the least bit.

He gracefully climbed on top of her, and gently caressed her cheek.

"I am glad we no longer have to hide," he murmured.

"Me too," she said, leaning her face into his hand. That hand started to travel down, until it had reached the edges of her tunic at which point, the other hand joined in to help her ease out of it.

He kissed her then and she let out a squeal of joy. This is what she had always wanted.

He paused suddenly and drew back, looking down at her. With innocent eyes, she gazed back up at him.

"What?"

Haldir shook his head and smiled, descending to capture her mouth in a kiss.

"Nothing."

* * *

Several months had passed and relations had become strained between Raali and Eland. Even at Tani's funeral procession, Eland did not approach her to comfort, even as she sobbed against the March Warden's shoulder. She was still very good friends with Merel, but Eland now treated her with cool indifference. She had tried to befriend him once more, to warm herself to him, but it was in vain. He rejected her and she knew he was suspicious. She knew she had to be careful around him and be ready to deal with him properly lest he go sticking his nose in matters which did not concern him.

Eland had not touched the partially burned yellow booklet. He had been afraid to open it, seeing the strange, twisted alphabet on the cover.

He had not opened it.

Until today.

Today, for the first time in many months, he was back from the border and had more than a bit of spare time on his hands. He used his thumb to gently open the book, flipping through it carefully so as not to damage it further. Strange and dark illustrations mixed in with the alphabet greeted his eyes and he knew this was not a book to be easily toyed with. Closing it, he knew what he had to do and with book in tow, he hurried off down the stairs of his talan as quickly as his legs would carry him.

* * *

With the palace in sight, he hurried along the familiar paths. However, just as he reached the bend, he was stopped in his tracks.

Raali smiled coldly at him, wearing a white gown similar to those of Galadriel. Her taste in clothing had completely changed and she now wore these kinds of gowns regularly.

"I see you have my book," She said softly. "I should very much like to have it back." She outstretched her hand.

Tightening his grip on the book, he answered, "I'd like to show it to the Lady first, if you do not mind."

"Mind?" her lips broke into a smile. "Of course I do not mind! It is just rather personal. You would not want to show your private journal to the Lady, would you?"

"What language is this?" Eland asked suddenly.

"My own," she said, laughing. "I made it up. Do you honestly think us peasants are so dull-witted?"

"Tani read from it before she killed herself." Her laughing suddenly stopped.

"Why do you bring her up?" Raali's eyes became sad and she looked away. "You know how upset it makes me."

He stalked towards her, shaking the book in her face. "If this is your own made up tongue, then how could she read it? What did she read from this book? Why did she read from it before she killed herself?"

She did not move at his sudden approach. "I taught it to her. We were so very close. She also wrote in the journal as well. She may have very well been reading something that she herself wrote."

"I don't believe you," Eland said coolly.

Raali looked up at him, her eyes narrowed.

"I don't care if you don't believe me. Everyone else does and that is all that matters. You took what is not yours. Now give me the book."

"No!" he cried, pushing past her. "I'm going to show this to the Lady!"

"You will do no such thing!" she roared. The sound of her voice vibrated through his bones and he fell to the ground. He looked back at her, terrified.

"You're not Raali," he whispered to himself.

"How very keen of you," Raali smiled, nodding. She gracefully walked over to him and knelt down beside him. He struggled to move away, but found himself unbearably weak and unable to call for help. He grabbed at his throat. He could not speak.

"I grow weary of you," she drawled, examining her fingernails. "You truly are a pest. You always have been. Even when I was….myself."

Recognition dawned in his eyes. 'This is Tani!' he screamed inwardly. 'May the Valar save us all…..'

She snatched the book away from him and held it to her nose, inhaling its scent. She giggled.

"It still smells like me."

* * *

**A/N: Hey at least, I updated! :-) Sorry it's so short, but I just wanted to get something out there to let you all know, I'm still here. I'm just stuck with a bit of writer's block. :-\**


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